Stream, Beef, Vibes

Toxic work culture, scientific mimicry in the carnivore diet, the discriminatory aesthetics of the clean girl, mukbang livestreams, the crisis of visual authenticity caused by AI, the rules to follow to be a “good” tradwife, methods for expressing political strength in the gym, and Ozempic as a solution for weight loss: the trends emerging on online platforms reflect the volatility of these environments, yet they can turn into spaces of shared culture in which users recognize themselves and mutually influence one another.

The exhibition addresses the theme of Digital Media and Information literacy (DMIL) through eight artifacts that speak about trends that are particularly followed on social media and often polarizing. The eight exhibited artifacts invite critical reflection on these phenomena: observing their recurring narrative and visual forms, the ways in which they contribute to constructing shared meanings and to engaging “digital followers”, in order to learn to recognize their possible risks and social effects.

In a shared process of critical reflection, the public has a central role in the exhibition: each artifact includes a first moment of contact with the theme, and a second moment of evaluation, through which to express one’s own point of view creatively.

Streams, beef, vibes is the result of research carried out by 53 students of the master’s degree program in Communication Design, at the Politecnico di Milano, coordinated by DensityDesign Lab, Department of Design of Politecnico di Milano.

The exhibition will open on February 6, 2026, at 6:30 pm.
Registration on Eventbrite is required to attend the opening event.

Final Synthesis Design Studio C3, Degree Program in Communication Design, Master’s Degree

Instructors: Elena Aversa, Ángeles Briones, Gabriele Colombo, Michele Mauri

Subject experts: Anna Cattaneo, Benedetta Riccio

Visual identity: Davide Agostinelli, Alice Dezio

Toxic work culture, scientific mimicry in the carnivore diet, the discriminatory aesthetics of the clean girl, mukbang livestreams, the crisis of visual authenticity caused by AI, the rules to follow to be a “good” tradwife, methods for expressing political strength in the gym, and Ozempic as a solution for weight loss: the trends emerging on online platforms reflect the volatility of these environments, yet they can turn into spaces of shared culture in which users recognize themselves and mutually influence one another.

The exhibition addresses the theme of Digital Media and Information literacy (DMIL) through eight artifacts that speak about trends that are particularly followed on social media and often polarizing. The eight exhibited artifacts invite critical reflection on these phenomena: observing their recurring narrative and visual forms, the ways in which they contribute to constructing shared meanings and to engaging “digital followers”, in order to learn to recognize their possible risks and social effects.

In a shared process of critical reflection, the public has a central role in the exhibition: each artifact includes a first moment of contact with the theme, and a second moment of evaluation, through which to express one’s own point of view creatively.

Streams, beef, vibes is the result of research carried out by 53 students of the master’s degree program in Communication Design, at the Politecnico di Milano, coordinated by DensityDesign Lab, Department of Design of Politecnico di Milano.

The exhibition will open on February 6, 2026, at 6:30 pm.

Registration on Eventbrite is required to attend the opening event.

Final Synthesis Design Studio C3, Degree Program in Communication Design, Master’s Degree

Instructors: Elena Aversa, Ángeles Briones, Gabriele Colombo, Michele Mauri

Subject experts: Anna Cattaneo, Benedetta Riccio

Visual identity: Davide Agostinelli, Alice Dezio