Response 2 – BruceW

Nobody Here Review:

Nobody Here is an odd website that we spent a reasonable amount of class time exploring. Its contents range from hallucinogenic imagery to cursive words and splattered paint. It exists if not for only one, than for everyone. The viewer is initially prompted with a screen on which a man sits typing away at a computer, words roll by as the viewer scrolls through until finally, one click, and they’re off on their aimless journey. The fully believe that nobody here is meant to replicate the process of the human mind – a swimming mess of thoughts, connections, and tidbits of information to be discovered. The site seems to encourage the viewer to wander through it, drawing the mouse to whatever interests their eye, like a lone survivor in an abandoned world. One could consider this project to be an autobiography of its creator, or a self writing biography for whoever chooses to explore it. The site marks the map with every decision and every click the viewer makes, carefully letting them choose what rabbit hole they lurk down with a careful balance of youthful spontaneity and decision making.

The actual content of the site can’t be summed up in few words – there’s a piece of everything from bugs to animated death scenes. However while the content is important, it’s not the focus of the site. The focus is that any user has the ability to traverse it in any way they see fit. The gradual invention of the modern internet gifted many-to-many communication to the masses, initiating an era of personalized and responsive media like we see here. Through the vehicle of many-to-many communication, each user is likely to produce an entirely individualized experience through this website, while mapping out in the process their virtual self in the bounds of the creator. This discovery of self is natural to any modern internet user, but it’s uniquely perceived in the confines of this project.

JenniCAM Review:

JenniCAM was a bold project pursued by 19 year old Jennifer Ringley in which she took advantage of cameras becoming a desktop technology by filming the intricacies of her personal life and posting them for all to see. JenniCAM ultimately lasted 8 years, from 1996 – 2003. The significance of this project was that it kept a public eye on an individual at all times without any filtering or censorship. Jennifer would commonly engage in sexual activities on camera for all to watch in full graphic detail. In fact, it’s believed that a large amount of her audience were simply viewers for the physical acts alone.

When considering one’s interaction with modern media a method of displaying one’s self, Jennifer’s project was the ultimate commitment. There is no greater way to reveal oneself than to allow the eyes of observers during every moment of your life. This is very much a one-to-may communication method in which Jennifer is the one. Simply watching somebody’s life is not interactive – everyone is a silent observer witnessing the same show.