Geyu Zhang

“Temple of Consumption”is a critical digital video work that examines the hidden operations of algorithmic power in contemporary Chinese consumer society. Through the visual metaphor of a giant “algorithmic spider” and a panopticon-like web, the project reveals how algorithms construct an omnipresent “digital panopticon,” precisely manipulating and amplifying individual desires, drawing people into endless cycles of consumer rituals and fleeting pleasures. 

In this process, individuals gradually lose autonomous judgment and the diversity of identity, ultimately being disciplined into homogenized and mechanized consumer groups. By visualizing the interplay between algorithmic control and the loop of consumption-driven gratification, the project seeks to prompt viewers to reflect on the power dynamics embedded within digital technologies.