Keen followers of Korean reality TV shows would have watched The Influencer already. It depicts how 77 famous and popular content creators battle it out in various challenges to emerge as the top influencer.

In Episode 4, a plot twist was unveiled to the remaining 14 contestants. It was so mind-blowing that it instantly elicited jaw drops and shocked gasps from them. The challenge was to work as a pair and submit one curated photo on Instagram. Subsequently, 100 viewers spanning across age groups (and presumably backgrounds) would be given 7 seconds to view the 7 photos in a 3-by-3 grid format.

It was a surreal scene, with the 100 judges decked in identical black clothes and wearing the same masks. It evoked vibes of a depersonalised, dystopian society - something that South Korean TV is adept at bringing to life on the screen. But that wasn’t the most dehumanising aspect for me.

In order to judge which photo was the most Instaworthy, the eye movements of all 100 viewers were tracked and converted to real-time data. The longer their eyes rested on a photo, the more successful the pair of influencers was.

While this challenge showcased South Korea’s technological prowess and ingenuity, it revealed how engagement was reduced to the lowest common denominator. Most of the contestants strategised about how they could take and hold a viewer’s attention for seven seconds. There was little room for nuances and complexity because simple, provocative photos would attract eyeballs better than ones that included some depth of thought. It has been said that our attention span has dipped below that of goldfish - and this challenge exemplifies it.

Also, in a 7-second period, I am behaving out of instinct and may not be able to explain to you where my eyes stayed longer on one photo but not the other. To have my eye movements turned into precise data seemed to be an opening into Pandora’s box. If this technology were to be implemented widely, I could be manipulated subtly by brands and sellers without even understanding my motivations first. This adds to the perils of big data.