BENJAMIN FOSTER

WORLD WIDE WEB


Fall 2024

“World Wide Web” was a project inspired by unethical business practices relating to online user privacy and data. 

The Type2 class of Keene State College designed magazines using text from privacy policies of popular companies, including Google, Snapchat, and Facebook. 

I devised the unifying theme of The Web that would weave the individual vision of each student into a collective and powerful compilation, while simultaneously, as a matter of principle, evoking critical thought and action. 

When people read the magazines and learn of the sinister ways in which these companies collect and share our precious personal data they may feel as if they are going a bit crazy, as if some massive conspiracy has been revealed. The algorithm that pieces together our digital being is visualized here as a literal ‘crime board’ where different pieces of information from all over the internet are mined and assembled to create our unique consumer profile.

A web of magazine parts and company CEOs was constructed using red twine, thumbtacks, and printed materials. It is imagined here that the CEOs are “spiders” sitting at the edges of a massive web, woven for the sole purpose of trapping and “consuming” personal data as users interact with the companies and products.

Interstitial pages are threaded throughout the book as section identifiers.

Close-ups of the cover were included to be added to the interstitials as the recto or verso, depending on the layout.


This is a gallery of alternative and previous cover iterations (not in any particular order).

This condensed video includes 58 minutes of file cleanup for this web page. Please enjoy.

Special thank you to Brady Rudolf for his assistance and encouragement.

HOMECONTACTLINKEDIN