Notes Personal Use:Quotes from video– What we are encountering is a panicky, and almost hysterical, attempt to escape from the deadly anonymity of modern life… and the prime cause is vanity… but the craving of people who feel their personality sinking lower and lower into the whirl of indistinguishable atoms to be lost in a mass civilization.” – American Idol Auditions ( Henry Seidel Canby 1926 – anonyminity in the city, lonely, assembly line workers feeling disconnected socially. similar suburb experience- the Real world 1992, reality tv, meh, whatever, generation raised by self-help generations, ‘whatever, i’ll do what I want’ Jean Twenge – Generation Me- ‘it’s not you but this’ around 18:30 – referencing the person to webcam conversation – how our conversations are mediated – the interface medium is what I am talking to and this medium affects the way I talk – The medium shapes the message. The medium shapes the conversation. The medium shapes the possibilities… for community… for identity construction… for self-awareness. the conversation to the camera creates a moment of context collapse which forces a level of self-consciousness. Anonymity + physical distance + rare & ephemeral dialogue = hatred as public performance ( re comment lists on youtube) anonymity + physical distance + rare & ephemeral dialogue = freedom to experience humanity without fear or anxiety