Response 2 – TannerM

If media shape us, then what shape do we see through the media? How do the vehicles/technology of many-to-many media shape what kinds of selves are possible?
Pick 2 autbotography projects and review thoroughly. How does each create a new and strange mirror on what it means to be human? What kind of self is possible, or reflected, or satirized, or created via the new technologies? For each project explain what the new tech is, and then how it shapes what kind of self is possible. Do you think race, gender, class, culture, age or other factors influence these new selves? Do the very poor have access to these new selves?
What kind is society is created by the proliferation of these new selves?
As you work, consider the ways your own self is portrayed, defined, or enabled through the technologies you use. (selfies, surveillance, iPhone credit cards, school IDs, etc)

JenniCam

This project in particular is very interesting because it was a first for it’s kind as no one had done what Jenni did before. As it goes Jenni was the first person to stream her life and document how she went about living, and during her time this was new and hadn’t really been done before. However, in today’s day and age this kind of stuff happens everywhere. It happens on social media, on tv, and all over the internet specifically. Even I play into this a little as with my YouTube channel I feel as though I document parts of life. It’s not specifically how I live or how I go about my day, but the time I spend with friends gets documented. And personally I feel that JenniCam was the start of this because as time went on reality tv shows, which are people documenting their “lives” for tv and entertainment, started to become a normal thing. Although, when I say “lives” I mean media playing up peoples lives and playing things up so they become bigger and more entertaining for those watching at home because to be honest people eat this up so to speak. So naturally as technology progressed and became easier, more viable, and accessible to the public people not surprising started doing the same, with the biggest examples being today with whole YouTube channels dedicated to this and with streamers who literally stream what they do. It’s essentially has become a day and age where if you want to have a JenniCam life then you can as long as you have the resources to do it no matter what race, gender, class, culture, age, or whatever, it’s possible.

nobodieshere.com

Now this website/project is honestly super weird, but also has some really good ideas and meanings inside it. When I first saw this site I was a little freaked out by it because of it’s abnormal presentation and functionality but as I looked more into it i understood why it was like this. It’s suppose to be disconnected but not, it’s suppose to be a mess but isn’t, it’s suppose to act like a website but not truly. The best way to describe this website is if you’re trying to explore someone’s brain and all the thoughts that go through it. Every page brings you to one subject with multiple links bringing you to different subjects that usually don’t coincide with each other. You’re constantly jumping around as you navigate each section, but there’s always a way to get back to the beginning if you end up getting lost. Not to mention each subject in a way can be puzzling to find it’s meaning. Usually it’s not hard to figure out, but each page always seems like there’s a cryptic meaning to be found with in. One of the things I like the most about this site is that in some sections it tries to mimic advertisements seen online and on tv that try to get you to buy products or look and act a certain way, but it also shows what they’re really trying to make you do. For example I think there was one that gives you a cigarette for free, but then shows the harmful effects of smoking whether it be directly to yourself or to others. The site in a nutshell is weird but is also why it’s appealing and effective

To wrap this up, I feel that technology as effected me in my own way, but in a good way. What I mean by this is that it gives me a way for me to act as I would in a setting that I feel comfortable while also being able to share the experience with others. And it’s not just me as my friends in their own ways feel the same. Maybe not as exactly as I do, but they do. In a world where technology is becoming increasingly better and more accessible I feel that it can mostly help those feel more relaxed and free with themselves, but people also have to be careful as not everyone will want this and thus must beware of the dangers technology can also bring.