June 7, 2011
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Video Or It Didn't Happen
Suppose that I tell you "The other day, I was walking along the sidewalk, when suddenly, I slipped on a banana peel! As I catapulted forward in the air, suddenly a little kid on a scooter slid entirely beneath me. I bounced off the top of his helmet and was high in the air, when I was hit by a blast of water right in the side of my chest! Some firemen were shooting water at a burning house, and I found myself in the hose blast, being propelled right towards the flames! Thankfully I got entangled in the volleyball net in front of the house, or I could have been burned to death! Miraculously I was unhurt except for this rope-burn pattern on my face!"
Do you know what at least half of my friends would ask me with a straight face, before even showing sympathy? "Is there video of this?" We have become such a video and photo-influenced generation, it is a bit laughable. Do you know that hardly any Xangans would talk to me until I started putting up a lot more photos and videos of myself on this site? Yes, I had a decent number of readers, but very few wanted to talk to me or were approachable. In 2008-2009 I started adding more multimedia and everything changed. In the last year, I've done very little photo or video on here. Wouldn't you know it, things have gone back to where they used to be.
Our reliance on the language of images both excites and worries me. I do prefer words in many ways. I like to convey my feelings through words. But this generation is most influenced by images, and perhaps it's always been this way. If there aren't pictures, it didn't happen. If there is no video of citizens being beaten by a hostile dictator's army, no one cares about that country. It's a bit sad, but it's also how the world works, and the way to get ahead is to create the most compelling photos and videos to draw people to your cause. Right?
EDIT: Also, lots of great comments in answer to my "Drug-Dealer Dilemma" post, I very much appreciated that! I will try to individually reply soon.
Comments (25)
It's very true. I think part of it is because it's easier to relate to a person we can see and feel like we know. The digital era has just made it something that's expected of us.
I've actually gone the other way recently, and started posting more photos, not necessarily of myself, but all around more photographs. For me, it's just where I happen to be in my blogging-cycle. I'm sure in a few months I'll go back to more text-based.
I can read a non-illustrated book for hours, but I have difficultly reading a long blog post if it doesn't contain photos. I'm not sure why.
It'd be a little hard to believe, but if you had the face marks I'd probably take your word for it. I guess the world is just filled with skeptics lol.
As for the xanga part, being able to see what someone looks like makes them seem more real and less creepy. I don't know, I guess it's sort of a sense of security type of thing.
What's even funnier is my IRL friends who've found my youtube channel ask me all the time when I'm going to post more videos. I haven't in quite some time. Guess I better get on that? Funnier still is that the person who usually asks is the husband of my gf. I don't think he needs make-up tips.
@methodElevated - same here
I think we got too involved in being entertained with video and images. That this sadly may be a generation that gets bored too fast and technology has to keep up to keep their interest.
I didnt talk to you because I didnt know what to say...but now I do
@laurelitavera - That right there shows how odd this all is. When your real-life friends who see you semi-regularly want more photos and video from you, it's kind of creepy, no? They know the real you, why do they need second-hand versions of you?
I guess it's also similar to the reasons why magazines/tv/movies are more popular than book reading. Sure, we can use our imagination, but visual stuff have the tendency to grab people's attention easier.
funny to think at one point we were a nation without television who listened to programs on the radio!
I told my dad the other day he's spoiled. He wanted me to look up this specific scene in the little rascals, so I typed it in on youtube, found a video in 5 seconds and when I started playing it it was a stupid fan remix thing... and he goes "what the hell, this isn't it!" I told him calm down, it was the first one I clicked on! It ended up being the second video, but I told him in the 70s I'm sure he couldn't find a video clip that fast! hahaha
@GreekPhysique - Creepy? A lil bit. But that's also what I think of the mobile video chat. My bestie video chats with her husband while at work... they see each other everyday. Cracks me up!
yes, it's true and sad. I also like words. Sometimes using the imagination works very well and much better. I don't have many readers typically and sure enough like yourself when i started added a few images i think that my page started being noticed (still a lil, I still don't understand people but that's a different subject)... Some people don't like to think or use their imagination as much,they want to writer to do all the work literally... And as you explained the first paragraph, I was actually playing it out on my mind... I think more than less of the times I can get more excited about what it written than just a picture or video... I love the description, the stimulation of senses I received by a passage than a video trying to recreate that and fail miserably!
honestly, if you told me that happened, I would believe you just because of how crazy and farfetched it sounds. who could make that up?
..you just did. WHERE'S THE VIDEO?
I always prefer pictures/video along with a well written entry. Pictures or videos by themselves are interesting, but that's it. Jut interesting. But when you add a written paragraph to detail what I wouldn't see or feel in the picture, I'm able to put myself in the author's shoes and I can relate better that way.
And I think the nature of political scandal is changing in relation to this trend, as demonstrated by the Weiner debacle. Image glut is something that needs to be managed wisely or it will go awry.
o man, what a great scene for a movie.
Hmmmm the word so funky too me..well am just a single lady that has No one to share or spend my time with..i will be glad if anyone can just help me finding a good an nice hardworking man to spend the rest of my life with..here is my yahoo IM sharron_armani add me or mail me an i will get at you asap..
I wish I could say I had better sex with my ex, but I never had a girlfriend. I don't know the feeling a guy gets when a woman takes off her clothes.
Crazy coincidence: that just happened to me! Like 5 minutes ago!
it's true, i get lots more comments on blogs with photos in them haha. i think part of what's going on is in a photo or video there is instant gratification. you don't need to read and interpret a paragraph, instead you just sit back and see for yourself. i guess that's laziness too.
i also have this theory that people take subtlety for granted more than they used to. they want things said directly and they want answers right away. it used to be rude to speak too directly, and it still is in other cultures. so, rather than reading and having to think about something, people might be wanting to take the more direct route of just seeing it. and it is kind of sad.
PLEASE REPLY TO MY PRIVATE EMAIL ( vivian2johnson@yahoo.co.uk )
Hello.
How are you,hope you are doing well,am vivian a lovely girl,and i drop at your profileat( http://www.xanga.com ),and was move to write to you ,i believe we can get acquainted,so if it interests you,pls reach me back here okay for further communications okay.i stop here awaiting your respond.Please contact me direct to my email address for me to send my picture and further communication,
( vivian2johnson@yahoo.co.uk )
Regards,
Ms vivian
i think mercy000 would be more believable w a pic and vid....... just saying...
@GreekPhysique - I agree pretty much with what everyone said. I think for a lot of people being able to see them or have video of a famous blogger such as yourself makes more of a personal connection.
I remember when I used to play on neopets I had quite a few Internet best friends that I never saw pictures and immensely enjoyed the bond we shared. I never once thought about what they looked like merely that I enjoyed their company and I had a lot in common with them. When I got older and pictures and videos became more popular I felt a lot of the connections became more superficial and based more on physical attraction rather than intellectual enjoyment, which on occasional is nice but gets somewhat boring if there is nothing else to go on.
I am personally very shy about taking pictures or video. I probably take like four photos a year lol. FYI the very moody photo of me is about two years old so as you can see I am pretty camera shy. I like to stay in the shadows and let others be in the limelight. I came on xanga for the great writing, different perspectives, and the variety of posts that were constantly being submitted. I enjoyed getting a glimpse of someone else's life and feeling like I should that specific moment and make a connection to someone possibly 1,000 miles away.
I feel best when I am not writing on my own blog but just reading and commenting on someone else's blog. I think what is most thrilling for me is the exchange of ideas and the ability to make a connection with someone else. I think by focusing so much on photos or video just to see what you look like obfuscates the main point communication.
@jilleybean12 - I love that you said "I think what is most thrilling for me is the exchange of ideas and the ability to make a connection with someone else." I too love those interchanges. I am unfortunately a little more insistent on video/pictures, though...an online friend turned out to have lied about what she looked like and who she was, sigh. So now I demand more proof.
Aww that sucks! I would understand under those circumstances I have talked to people online and in person who have lied about situations they were involved with. I think it is easier to do it online since it's harder to fact check people.
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