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I really liked the concepts that Prof Michael Wesch of Kansas State University (US), talks about in his anthropological study of YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hU

What I thought was most striking was the concept of ‘loss of communities over time’, which he draws from Robert D. Putnam. There are several reasons why massive communities of suburbia are ‘disconnected’ today (viz: the movement away from the ‘corner grocery store’ to ‘large supermarkets’, sort of like the concept explored in the film ‘You’ve Got Mail’). They seem to be connected only via physical roadways, etc. Hence the sense of general isolation, and declining community life.

Amidst this - the blogoshpere - seems to offer new forms of communities, emerging social networks. What he calls, ‘person to person connectivity’ or ‘networked individualism’ (Barry Wellman). Where everyone is increasingly networked but also very individualized! There is more desire for community, and for stronger relationships. With increasing commercialization, there is a longing for authenticity. Hence there is a whole new ‘imagined virtual social community’ that is now building itself through webcams, screens, as opposed to the 'imagined community' concept of Benedict Anderson.

Another emerging theory is that of the ‘asynchronous invisible audience phenomena’. Taking the example of vlogs that are uploaded on sites like You Tube, he explains how it’s so strange that people are now talking to a lens, a camera - not to ‘real’ people!

There’s also a ‘hyper self awareness’. Sort of an extension of psycho-analysis, introspection via recorded images of oneself and other self preoccupations. Sort of an instant replay and ‘RE-COGNITION’.

When the ‘real’ people actually see these personal videos of people they have never physically met before, they view them without any context! What he calls a ‘collapse of context’! So what appears to have no real audience also seems like everyone is watching!

Also, watching another human being through a computer - gives one the freedom to stare for as long as required. This is because of the reassurance that comes from the ‘anonymity of watching’, which is not possible in real life! You can stare at anyone, replay their videos, without making them uncomfortable or awkward. They don’t see you watching them.

All in all - there is tremendous connection, without constraint.

I loved this whole academic analysis of a contemporary, social, cutural phenomena like vlogs. I was in my own reverie and musing over all this, when I boarded my Tram outside University. Almost everyone on the tram, irrespective of age, gender, ethnicity, whatever, - had ear phones plugged in (probably connected to an ipod or some such music producing micro-chip device) and/or ‘with’ a phone! That’s when I suddenly realized the intrinsic irony of our networked generation. Any guesses?

I have tons of virtual social networks spanning the globe, but I don’t know the neighbour next-door! (A very 21 c version of Robert Frost's famous 'Good Fences Make Good Neighbours' philosophy!) I think it odd to make conversation with the person sitting beside me in the train, reading the same article that I am probably reading in MX (the faithful, omnipresent companion of the late-evening Connex commuter), who probably has an interesting, maybe similar maybe opposite, but nonetheless equally arresting point of view about - the articles, the paper, or how it is read by everyone taking the late evening trains from the CBD into Melbourne’s suburbia, or how a tiny minority expresses downright disgust and refuses to be part of that ‘mass’ phenomena and will never read it, etc etc (would only be caught engrossed in The Financial Times or Finnegan's Wake). These are all issues. All debates. All great ideas for blogs, for opinions. But we’d probably blog about it, and get a million responses about it online, but probably never discuss the same thing with the person next-door!! The ironies of our lives...