Art 326: Blog 2

Pt. 1

The video by Ze Frank and the webpage by Justin Jackson both attempted to inform the audience of an underlying connection that appears between people on the web.

First and foremost, both of these creators made me feel more positive and optimistic about the medium in which they place themselves. Much of my experience has involved online spaces that create negativity. While Frank’s video was almost 10 years ago, it was interesting to see his attempt to bring more unity into the political discussion at that time. The same is true for Jackson’s website as I just felt good about reading his thoughts. The simplicity of both of their projects showed that the amount of good that can be drawn from them is exponentially greater than the sum of its parts. The foundational element of making a connection and eliciting emotional response is not new. This leads back to the optimism I felt while experiencing their work. It was made solely for the connection and that’s entirely different than a website like Instagram or Twitter. These spaces that hype up similar ideas are laced with advertising and their true purpose is then apparent. In sum, the purpose of a website like Jackson’s or Instagram is not a technical issue, but one of human experience. Should there be an appeal to the emotion or the bank account?

Pt. 2

A virtual experience that I find connection through is gaming. More specifically, Microsoft’s Xbox and its accompanying online components. I use it to talk with family members and friends who are not local. The company has done a good job of improving the multiplayer components by allowing much of its functionality to take place on both a smartphone and the television, but I believe they can go further with it. Perhaps by integrating the camera on the smartphone one can more deeply connect with members of the group(s) they are associated with. Also, allowing other services to stand as replacements to some of the core functionalities offered could entice more people to take part. Discord is not currently offered on Xbox’s app store, but it would be a fantastic service that would allow established groups to share new experiences with very little work.