Catfish

To me Catfish was just plane weird. I felt as though it had taken what we had discussed in class about the cyber world becoming it's own form of reality and just twisted it into something that was just so ridiculous that it was actually scary. The documentary is about a Michigan woman who essentially created this life for herself. She created fifteen people on facebook that in real life do not exist. She then met this man named Nev and using this fake person she started to connect with Nev, who was a photographer.

I can understand having some sort of a connection on the internet. However, this woman was so wrapped up in her own lie that she actually thinks that she can live in the real world and maintain this lie. However, that is very far from the truth. Nev and his friends who have been filming this entire adventure eventually catch onto the lie and the woman then reveals the truth, which was in fact a lie as well.

This woman is trapped. She has two severely handicapped boys that demand her attention, a husband who is slow to say the least, and a little daughter who loves to paint. This woman reveals that he dream was to become a dancer but that dream was short lived. I can understand the pain of losing a dream; however, that does not give her the right to lie and deceive innocent people like Nev into thinking that she is this person.

She using pictures of family friends and creates identities without their consent. She goes beyond lie and right to stealing. She stole a person's identity and used it as her own. I can not understand this for my life. Then to make the whole situation even worse she lied about having cancer. To me I can understand lying about yourself, but to lie that you have cancer is a whole different issue. That is a serious condition that kills millions of people. Cancer is not a joke. It is not something that is commonly thrown around in everyday situation.

Nev is hurt and betrayed by this entire situation, and I do not blame him. He had been lied to for no good reason. He had thought that he had made a connection to this perfect girl. A beautiful woman who appreciated his photography, they shared similar beliefs and made a legitimate connection. However, it was  lie.

This relates to our class because we have discussed the influence of technology on the world and on our own perception of reality. We have discussed the power of technology and what it can do for the every day person. However, I feel as though this story is an extreme. The internet has given this rather simple woman an entire new life. She had complete control over everything because she was everybody. She was able to handle every situation. However, is that real? Does she live in her own virtual reality? How? She is controlling everything, that doesn't seem like reality.

Exit Through the Gift Shop

How did this documentary compare to reality TV?

It seems to me that this documentary followed a lot of the same criteria that reality TV does. It's edited, and fixed to make it watchable. However, it is not quite like reality TV. Reality TV can be viewed in two different genres. The first is that of the mainstream reality TV that we see on MTV. For example, Jersey Shore and Real World are considered reality TV because they take the lives of everyday people and record them. However, it is not exactly reality because they take random people and then put them in a n environment that is something that they are not used to. However it is made to be watched. It is a solid form of entertainment that is viewed for the purpose of entertainment.

The other form of reality TV is much more real. For example the educational shows where the man goes and visits different countries and then has to become accustom to their traditions. That is reality TV. That is much more like this documentary. Thierry Guetta is the man behind this documentary. He is constantly filming no matter what. Because of this constant filming it is much more real.

This brings up the question of perception vs reality. Street art is relatively unknown because it is not something that is seen being preformed on a daily basis. The point of street art is to be done anonymously and in secret where the only thing that matters is the art, not the artist. With the introduction of the camera into the unknown world I wonder how much of this is actually true. For example, Banksy chose to be darkened with a voice altering devise when he talked. This was to hide his true identity and to make his artwork even more of the focus.

To me this did not work. Banksy is the most famous street artist. However, all this constant talk about who is is taking the focus off of the art. I feel that when someone is that famous and such a public known figure then I think that they should be able to reveal themselves because they know that their artwork has lead them to this fame. The reality of the situation is that he has become famous. The perception is that he is still not important, however that is not reality. He is important. I guess, Banksy is just making the statement that his artwork is more famous than himself.

Grade Update

Illustrator Vectorized Photograph

Recreated Vector Image

Original Vector Image

Democratized Media

1. How does keen define Democratized media, and what are his main issues with this trend? Use examples from the web in the form of links.

Kenn defines Democratized media as the change, through the term Web 2.0, that has occurred resulting in the ability of anyone to publish information on the Internet. For example, Youtube (youtube.com) and iReport (http://ireport.cnn.com/) allow for armatures to publish any thing that want. Due to this fact, Keen argues that it amatures are destroying what it means to be a valid source, in the case of iReport, and also what it means to be a musical artist, in the case of Youtube.

2. Compare and contrast Keens take on Social Media with Douglas Rushkoff's. Which one speaks to you and your own experiences and why.

I think that the internet is a very positive thing. I think that giving the people the ability to create their own works and to publish them allows America to be what it is today. Who are we to deny someone the right to make a video and publish it. I have made this point in class that if information is out there then it is our job as observers to make sure that the information we seek is credible. I do not believe that the amateur creations are hurting the credibility of information.