Sunday, July 11, 2010

We live in public

The ever-increasing accessibility to the internet has lead to its becoming an integral tool for human interaction. While it is often a place to share drunken frat party photos and indulge hedonistic curiousities, it can provide valuable breeding grounds for reconnecting lost friends and forging business networks. It is possible for people to connect in ways that were previously unheard of, if not unimagined.


The internet prodigy Josh Harris in particular was able to predict much of the current social trending and interpret their impacts through a fascinating series of human experiments. One such experiment included locking a community of artists into a bunker that was completely video monitored and linked together, such that everyone could instantly look in on anyone around them. Every aspect of their day was recorded and available for anyone within to witness, making privacy an obsolete concept. It was a literal interpretation for what the social networking and internet experience has evolved into.




The movie puts forth a lot of interesting topics for consideration, and I believe it's something many of us must face when dealing with the internet. Information is instantaneously available now, streamed directly onto our smart phones, gaming consoles and computers. We can access just about anything at any time, no matter what laws or governing forces attempt to intervene as of current. This isn't always the case, of course, as was the situation with Google in China. This instant interchange of information can go both ways, however, allowing for information tracking, malware, identity theft and a host of other problems. As participants in the internet it's important to take everything we share online into consideration because once there, it is no longer our's. It's a matter of personal interpretation when it comes to how much we share, but it's something very important to consider.

What do you think? Have you seen his movie? I found his predictions to be pretty accurate and it's fascinating to see his literal interpretations of the future of the internet's usage. The movie follows the direct impact on a large community as well as on his own personal intimate relationship.

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