We have a generation of young folk who have acquired touch-typing skills any Executive PA would be proud of, through constant texting/BBing and social media updates. Then on the other hand – an older generation who book holidays and pay bills online, happily declaring themselves as silver surfers.
The virtual world is here to stay. However, with the good there’s always the bad and the virtual world wouldn’t be in equilibrium, but spinning off its microchip axis.
With the genuine revolution of communication via the Internet, it’s also managed to feed the deeply narcissistic tendencies of human nature (along with celebrity obsessed culture, but that’s whole another conversation). Roll on social media, a place where everyone can feel a little loved, or indeed hated and maybe make up for those years of not being the most popular kid in school with 600+ virtual friends.
To help people celebrate and look over those vast ‘social media’ memories, Intel have created an app that allows Facebook users to create their own virtual museum. Now I do not have a personal FB account so haven’t tried it out personally. But because of the wonder of social media, I didn’t have to, I just needed to look at the inevitable YouTube uploads.
As I expected it looks like a super swish, stylish piece of work, making everyone’s ‘social’ life look like it could be entered for the Turner Prize. The things is that it needs to be slicker than the average. Clearly shot with Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind in mind, the Blue Sky thinkers who saw the opportunity to create an emotive connection with the device that ‘powers’ all this interaction – the Intel core i5 – what they’ve actually developed is a virtual stalker masquerading as gallery curator.
Our Sam in the office signed up, and felt a little disturbed by both how much he’d posted up online, and the things this Museum actually had access to. For many though, this app will achieve the desired effect, despite making us perhaps a bit more self-absorbed and a tad more virtually insular, as summarised by a quote on the Museum of Me YouTube page;
“This App is AWESOME. It’ll make you feel special and connected even if you think you’re not” – BiscuitXT 2 days ago
In advertising land there’s ‘a’ truth and ‘the’ truth. LG‘s The Young and The Connected idents interestingly fall into the latter, as they highlight the frivolities of our social network interactions almost to the point where they threaten to undermine both the user and the applications themselves.
Don’t get me wrong. These idents are good. Very good in fact. And neither LG or Joe Bloggs will be concerned by my frivolous observations, as they’ll be smirking every time they’re aired – just like I do.
Now check you’re Bookface. You’ve officially been poked.
In an Absolut World, art sponsored by a brand have absolutely nothing to do with the brand and everything to do with art; as was the case with Spike Jonze‘s I’m Here. Being a big fan of Spike’s work, I was more than sceptical as to his motives for creating this movie.
After fiiiiiiinally getting round to finishing watching it I felt closer to understanding Spike, but more confused as to Absolut’s motives for the movie, other than to be associated with a film full of beauty, melancholy, heart-break and Spike Jonze’s special directorial touch.
When I ran across this outfit it made me chuckle. The Web 2.0 Suicide Machinesounds like a thrash band but no, it’s much more useful than that. The Web 2.0 Suicide Machine offers a way out for all the Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn junkies and way back to the people in their real lives.
The saying suggests everything in moderation, but I feel we’re in a time where if you’re not web 2.0ing it, you’re just not doing it. Marketers across the land would acuse me of blasphemy, as it’s working out to be a great way for businesses to ‘engage’ with customers – true. However, I’m not so sure about all the benefits for the regular joe, who posts up his pics of his beloved dog, who tells me what he shouldn’t of gotten up to that weekend, and that he really, really, likes banana shakes.
Partly why I think the phenomena took off ‘phenomenally’ is because it enables many to have their 15 minutes of online fame (check out the Revlon offer of a makeover for Facebook pics). Andy Warhol could never have guessed his vision would have taken on a whole new web 2.0 reality.
But I think we may just see the tide turning, albeit very slowly. For some, the new virtual christmas toy has lost some of it’s shine and has been put back in the box with the rest of the once greatly loved novelties.
Facebook are taking it all very seriously; they’ve issued the outfit with a Cease and Desist letter from their lawyers. Web 2.0 Suicide Machine has helped befriend one and half million friends, which is a drop in the 2.0 ocean, sure, but it may just turn into to a tidal wave.
