BROADCAST YOURSELF

Digital narcissism has made it into the New York Times. John Carney, in an article in Sunday’s Times entitled People Who Watch People: Lost in an Online Hall of Mirrors writes about YouTube, one of the most hyped paragons of the Web 2.0 revolution.

The tagline for YouTube is Broadcast Yourself. And that’s exactly what YouTube users do, abundantly, without scruple or shame. And, as Carney explains, the latest thing is for YouTubers to broadcast videos of themselves watching others watch videos:

“With the latest crop of videos, a new style has emerged, though, one that is at once absolutely mundane and completely postmodern: people posting videos of themselves watching YouTube videos.”

Carney writes about a young woman with the web name pizzelle2, who takes the broadcast yourself tagline literally. She films herself watching another YouTube user who is watching yet another user. This online hall of mirrors leads, eventually, to a woman in Wausua, Wis, called Nornna. Nornna has become the muse for 50,000 videographers. According to Carney, she has become a cult on YouTube for the simplicity of her life. Her videos – including ones of her making a peanut and jelly sandwich and watching tv – have been viewed more than 50,000 times.

One of Nornna’s voyeuristic fans, James98105, wrote:

“The reason why I love Nornna's videos so much is because her day-to-day activities in Wisconsin make me envious because I wish my life were that simple!”

James98105 comes at the end of a long tradition of making moving pictures about the obsessive art of watching others. From Alan Resnais’ Last Year at Marienbad to Fellini’s 8 ½ to Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation to my own favorite, Hitchcock’s Vertigo, it has been one of the richest themes in moviemaking history. In all these motion pictures, however, the art of watching is a complicated commentary on love or politics or sexuality or aesthetics. In all these movies, the movie camera points outwards, away from the cameraman, into the world.

Pointing a movie camera at something or someone is not, in itself, interesting. But in YouTube’s hall of mirrors, watching has become the-thing-in-itself rather than an art . The April 3 issue of Newsweek ran an excellent cover story on Web 2.0 entitled “It’s all about you.” Exactly. the YouTube service is the first mirror, the mirror behind all the other mirrors in the online hall. The user-generated content on YouTube is all about the watcher and nothing about the watched. The camera might be fixed on something else, but on YouTube it is actually pointed inwards, away from the world. Like James98105, pointing a camera at somebody else is really a commentary on ourselves. YouTube might call this “Broadcast Yourself,” but it actually just another example of the digital narcissism of the Web 2.0 world.

Comments

[Danny Motion]

I don't get it. What's the difference between a budding Hitchcock on YourTube and the real thing? Sure, some of the users of YourTube will be worthless, but there will be other contributors saying something really important.

You can't just dismiss everyone. Where are people with talent in the Web 2.0 world supposed to go?

[Robbie Keane]

BROADCAST YOURSELF!!

you are no different from the losers on YouTube. All your writing is inwards. Try to look at the world!

[james98105]

Lol, internet

[Alex-jon]

It's funny because it isn't?

[ibrad]

You win at being a mirror. Except you're just as worthless as the rest. And stop dropping Hitchcock films like you're a film geek, and get a facelift and a new hairstyle.

[realestate]

I disagree.

[recommendation]

the irony of a (typepad) blogger writing about digital narcissism is delicious.

[jayfo]

It is a magnificent paradox of a fin de sicle. Who is the watcher and who is the audience? It reminds me of the hindu tale where it is believed that 'The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of an elephant standing on the back of a giant tortoise." If asked "And what is the turtle standing on?" the reply is always "it's turtles all the way down."

[jayfo]

I don't think I've gotten the web 2.0 upgrade. Where's the DL site?

[rfjason]

LOLOMG Somebody on the internets doesn't like James! LJ-CUT!

[Alex-jon]

Reactionary internet tardery, yhou cannot stop us!!

Well, not that there's really anything to stop, and all

[natsukigirl]

Why do you care? Are you jealous? I can't stand people who have opinions about opinions as if they are an authority, or that their little opinion among billions means anything at all other than just that... an opinion. Go hide in your dark, dank den and continue to be bitterly envious of those who are social and enthusiastic about themselves and other people in the wide world. MY opinion is I love to show off my self esteem and see the high self esteem of others, and make new friends in this way. It's a beautiful, healthy thing, and the wave of the future. Personally, I'm glad you feel so heated about it, I like laughing at people who haven't discovered themselves and what they are about, and see them turn angry about their inability to be open and honest and worldly. It strengthens my ego even more, and makes me happy I'm not one of those sad little creatures. I appreciate more my "digital narcissism" which isn't just digital, it's public and in person as well. Confidence is my boon, and a trait I love to see in everyone I associate with. Don't fool yourself though, complaining about others who have achieved happiness through humanistic experiences is almost as pointless as masturbation for those without a mate... and you don't even have anything to show for it.

[Wendy]

I was with you (as in, I see and fear all of the noise that web 2.0 is bringing) until I read that you actually would prefer to trust the mainstream for all of your info and entertainment needs, inclusive of Hollywood, the mainstream news (OMG!!) and Disney (?!!!!)- So instead of utopia you are hoping to remain in media purgatory being spoonfed. Enjoy it while it lasts, I guess- I will continue to work towards building a web, that, albeit wide open to indiscriminate blathering, will also thankfully exist to host and share counterviews to the current cesspool of vile and concocted media that exists solely to drive consumption patterns. Ew.

[kev]

even Eisner is getting into video self broadcasting:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060418/media_nm/media_eisner_dc_1

[rik]

I saw that Eisner piece too. What does everyone having their own channel mean? Seems like cultural anarchy to me. Classic Silicon Valley nonsense.

[S]

um, wow... angry people... i agree with your article, except YouTube isn't anything new. People do this all the time (think of America's Funniest Home Videos). The internet just makes it easier for people now.

[blackarrow]

i discovered your writing through SFGate. You have a very original voice -- somewhere between Baudrillard and Mussolini. I'm not sure if you mean everything you say, but you definitely are an original. I hope you put all this into a book. It would be a blast!

[Mike E]

Eisner's VEOH is a great example of BROADCAST YOURSELF culture of this new media. Everyone having their own channel is kind of cool and also scary. AGain, key question: who is gonna watch all this? And i don't buy this idea of each channel having a business model. That's totally unreal. What's Eisner been smokin'?

[haddock]

have you seen Andrew Orlowski's piece in the Guardian:

http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1752257,00.html

you guys seem to be making a movement. Good luck with the attack on computers! you're arguments are right on!

[gatecrasher]

Eisner must be crazy to invest in Veoh. It's a classic scam. No business model. Just froth. Web 2.0 is no different from Web 1.0.

[vopicx]

Watching others doing their boring day-to-day simple things helps some to value their own boring lives.

[funny steve]

lol on vopicx. exactly. but why not go outside and have some fun rather than watching somebody eat their lunch. it's a recipe for suicide (or at least anexoria)

[Nick Douglas]

The NYT mischaracterized it. It's just User 1 watching User 2 watch User 1. It's nowhere as cool as the Infinite Cat Project (http://www.infinitecat.com/movies/catzoom.html).

[Benjamin]

You are wasting precious bandwidth with your negativity. The aggregate actions of others will always be greater than your individual attempt to neglect and discredit the digital renaissance in which you exist. You should be ashamed of yourself. Only greed would deny the vast creative force of the Internet and the collective action of innovation. You are regressive retrograde. Your bantor will only reach ignorant pre-medivial, reactionary paper tigers. Progress will crush your messages. Quit using communism to scare people, I'm suprised you aren't an anchor on Fox News.

[john redenson]

you know what i dont care. the internet contains tons of crap on it , things that are funny, sad, depressing, and top porn. no one care. you tube can put any thing they want on it and no one like u can do anything about it. so shut up.
faggit