I found this article on CNN and I couldn't believe someone did this!
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/social.media/11/22/social.media.isolation.project/index.html
The 2 people involved in doing this are quick to say that they aren't anti-technology but they just want to spark conversation the impact technology has on the human life. I think it is really interesting and it does provoke a lot of thought--just as our class does.
This girl is living inside of a glass "store", with no privacy except for the bathroom for 30 days! The glass is supposed to represent the computer screen and how we are living behind social media. It also is supposed to show how easily accessible we are on a 24/7 basis with our cell phones, Facebook, Twitter, etc. She has a large screen computer where she updates her Facebook, Twitter, blog, and skypes--there is also a projector set up so that anyone walking by can see as she updates online. She is now on her 23rd day so she doesn't have much longer to go but she says it is taking a toll on her. You can read her day to day updates on her blog she created about this project: http://www.publicisolationproject.com/blog/
While most people do not stay inside 30 days or more without leaving their homes, glued to the computer screen (she's obviously just trying to make a point), it does raise questions about the lack of life outside of the social media bubble. Do you think social media has us caught in a bubble with no way out?
Interesting! I wonder what part of this experiment is more stressful - not being able to interact physically with people (she can certainly communicate and see people outside her glass) or the total lack of privacy. I know for me it would be the lack of privacy!
ReplyDeleteShe also mentioned "not being able to listen to live music" which made me think she's not on Second Life. Wonder if that would make a difference - to be able to go places virtually with other people, listen virtually to live music, etc. Would it at least give her a bit of a sense of being in a different place than behind her storefront?
There was a project like this a long while ago, maybe when I was ten or eleven or so. But instead of one person it was a family in a glass two story home. They were trying to prove a point about solar energy and that it could efficiently light and "fuel" the entire home (i.e. cooking, heat, air, and lighting). How times have changed. I feel as though social media hasn't caught us in a bubble, but it has changed the way we live. Everything is public, or lost in the media world once it is put out there. I believe that privacy is a thing of the past and that it is hard to come by. We rely so heavily on social media tools, such as twitter, facebook, email, ec. We no longer just have them, but they are now a necessity in our everyday life. We NEED them for work, for school, and even at home. It has become a tool that we rely so heavily on that it makes me wonder what would happen if technology, as a whole, crashed? We would be a mess! Technology does not run our lives, but it is a significant part in the complicated puzzle that is our lives.
ReplyDeleteThis story is so interesting! I am so fascinated with this project and the ideas behind it. I find myself at dinner or coffee with people and are phones constantly come out. I have tried to make it a habit to check it when I walk in and then put it away while I am with that person. And I hope they do the same. Our time is precious, so when we get to spend it with someone- we (talking to myself as well) should take advantage of it!
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many hide behind facebook and such. Just like we talked about in class about being scared to talk on the phone even to people we know, are people scared to interact without the comfort of a phone or computer?
And Dr. Baker- your point about SL is so right! I wonder if that would make a difference in her project...she could totally interact with people on SL.
I could not even imagine attempting to do this! It sounds crazy but I think it does highlight some important points about our technology use. I think its a good analogy to how technology has impacted our lives. It does seem extreme, but on a whole I think its a good representative of how all of the social media sites we are connected to display and provides information about its users. Anyone who is part of a social media site is virtually accessible at any time, regardless if they are online or not. It got me thinking about who looks at my facebook profile or my pictures. Anyone I am friends with has access to it, so its not like I am making it private. But in real life we very much like and want our privacy, so it was something that really got me thinking.
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