Blog Numero Dos

The Second Skin documentary to me was interesting, mainly because I played WOW for a short period of time during my freshman and sophomore year of high school; so, I can relate on some level to the individuals in the documentary.  Although I was never what I would call an “addict” there were plenty of days where I would just want to sit around and play the game instead of going out into social situations.  I am an extremely social person so when I reached a point where I felt pressured to choose between the real world and a virtual world the decision was easy, I just stopped playing.  I can defiantly understand how someone with a less active social life can easily choose to get “lost” in a virtual world and block out reality.  I always had multiple friends wanting to do something just about every night of the week, so it was easy to not get  lost in a virtual realm when such a large influence was pulling me towards the plane of reality.  I can see how people who have fewer friends, are less likely to have that “pull” towards reality and thus get sucked into a virtual world. 

In “Culture Jam,” the woman became addicted to chatting online.  This woman lost ten pounds because she forgot to eat and was reluctant to sleep because she was scared she might miss something interesting.  She started to lose her verbal skills because she had grown so accustomed to typing her thoughts instead.  When she was seen on the street, she hadn’t showered for days.  Her teeth were an eerie color and she acted erratically.  I would never have guessed that by choosing to be social in a virtual world instead of reality, there could potentially be such drastic changes in behavior and appearance (especially in the short time-frame that the book leads you to believe).

  Many people who are addicted to an online world create characters that they view as an extension of themselves.  Some use them to hide “flaws” that make them feel the most insecure, while others use these alter-egos as a way to improve on specific aspects of reality.  In 1998 Carnegie Melon released a study on the social and psychological effects of the internet.  This study showed that “netheads were lonelier and more depressed than the average population.”  Lasn accurately states, in “Culture Feed,” that  “Connect, disconnect” may be our generations answer to “Tune in, turn on, drop out.”  This well known phrase coined by Dr. Timothy Leary, the highly influential American psychologist/writer of the 1960’s and 70’s.  He became known during the later years of his life for his research in the therapeutic benefits of psychedelic drugs.  Leary was attacked by the conservatives and was dubbed “the most dangerous man in America” by President Richard Nixon.  During this time Leary was extremely popular among the subculture known as the “hippies.”  The phrase Dr. Leary coined basically meant to use your mind (tune in), be peaceful (turn on), and detach yourself from whatever makes you unhappy (drop out).  The conservatives and the media were under the impression that he was encouraging his “followers” to just get fucked up and not do anything productive with their lives.  This was not the case.  

Leary viewed the use of psychedelics as a way to become more in touch with your mind, your body, and the world around you.  The message got twisted due to the storm of negative publicity that (incorrectly) interpreted Dr. Leary’s words for the general public and the public listened. This shows how much the media can influence the way we think and supports multiple ideas in Culture Jam that suggest we are losing the ability to think independently and not take everything we hear (especially in forms of media) at face value.  If used in this context, I can see the point he is trying to make, that “connect, disconnect” is our generations outlet.  Dr. Leary stated that the “PC is the LSD of the 1990’s.”  Technology is our drug.

Throughout the book I have noticed that there are a few places with pretty shocking/powerful statements that Lasn makes.  I have a problem with some of them.   He seems to base some of his statements on personal beliefs with very little, if any, factual evidence behind it.  For example he was talking about how the Asian tour bus was constantly taking photos during the tour. Lasn then came up with a conclusion based on that simple observation.  He says “This I think, is the hazardous fallout from an over mediated world, where nothing that happens becomes real until you can make it fit into the spectacle, or make the spectacle fit into it.”  I feel that he is really stretching logic to make connections when there is no true factual information to base his statement upon.    If his point is to persuade me to act a certain way, he should not start statements with “I think,” and there should be factual information provided that supports the specific point he is trying to make.  In Culture Jam, Lasn makes multiple opinion based statements that fall short of persuading me to accept some of his important thoughts and ideas, thus far.  For the couple, of his ideas that he feels are so important the lack of factual information hangs over head with the lingering question of his authenticity.