Anxieties around doppelganger culture have been permeating the arts of late. We’ve had the hit series Severance and the body horror The Substance; in 2023, there was the deepfake porn documentary Another Body. This week, doppelganger culture forms the basis of Deutsche Telekom’s new campaign titled #OwnYourWorld. Created with ad agency Ingo Stockholm, its premise is to educate and raise awareness among Gen Z on invisible digital threats, specifically around how data can be cloned and used to shape the world around us.

As part of the campaign, Polish producer and DJ VTSS has launched the new track Can’t Catch Me, and it comes with a surreal Shadrinsky-directed music video. Clocking in at just over two minutes long, it contains the signature hallmarks of a Shadrinsky video: shot on CCTV, the office is the main stage and emotions start running high.

It begins with VTSS walking through wet concrete on her way to the office. She’s dressed in a grey suit and skirt combination with black tights and strappy stiletto heels. As she makes demands around the office and draws circles on a flip-chart pad, around her the office starts rapidly filling up with people who look like her: dressed in long black wigs and the same suit ensemble. She escapes by zipwire. Later, she’s having dinner at a restaurant. Panic sets in as the diners around her are suddenly dressed just like her, look just like her. The track features lyrics sung by VTSS, which say, “Face looks like mine but it’s not me.”

Research conducted by the telecoms company reveals that 90% of European Gen Z are concerned about digital privacy. Only 7% feel confident about managing their data privacy, while 70% would like more information on the subject. To address this, Deutsche Telekom has launched the platform ownyourworld.online, which features a six-part series of bite-size content led by VTSS. The series is designed to educate its viewers on topics such as data tracking and algorithmic influence.

“The ability to own your identity online should be a fundamental right,” says Ulrich Klenke, chief brand officer at Deutsche Telekom. “We know that knowledge is power. That’s why we are providing Gen Z with the knowledge and confidence they need to ‘turn privacy mode on’ in their digital lives.”

“So many of us feel this low-key anxiety about how much of us lives online, and how little control we have over it,” VTSS adds. “This project creatively captures this – holding up a mirror to that experience and hopefully helping people feel seen.”

ownyourworld.online