The Internet Yami-Ichi, otherwise known as the Internet-ish flea market, was held this past Saturday at the Knockdown Center in Maspeth. While there were some interesting vendors, perhaps the most surprising part of the market was the Social Clinic being held by interactive designers Chang Liu, Oryan Inbar and Ava Huang.
Social Clinic’s doctors ask a series of questions to help diagnose you with a 21st century social ailment – from social awakwardness to being obsessed with selfies. But the clinic also goes one step further by using computer-generated facial recognition to determine how social you are and what emotions you give off. The “Face Ray” photo booth measures your emotion with a single photo. The computer can record your levels of happiness, surprise, sadness and anger.
“We all have some social issues, whether it’s using the phone too much or taking too many selfies or social awkwardness,” Liu said to Hyperallergic. “So we’re trying to make something that draws people’s attention to the fact that they are a kind of patient and diagnose their potential social symptoms.”
Don’t worry, at least the clinic prints you out a treatment too. For instance, if you’ve ignored someone in favor of a phone, try to turn the phone off for 10 minutes and enjoy your company.
Are you willing to be diagnosed by Social Clinic?
