can second life house new documentary forms?
DESCRIPTION
This lecture examines the potential of second life as a platform for creative documentary practicesTRANSCRIPT
Can Second Life House New Forms of Documentary?
What is SL?
• Second Life is an Internet-based 3D virtual world launched in 2003
• SL is analogous to the web. You can create hyperlinks to any other metaworld running on any server worldwide. Your avatar uses hyperlinks to move to other worlds.
• The stated goal of Linden Lab is to create a world like the Metaverse (Stephenson, 1992).
• The term metaverse refers to environments where humans interact (as avatars) with each other (socially and economically) and with software agents in a cyber space, that uses the metaphor of the real world, but without its physical limitations.
Why an interest in SL?
– It is the current phase of evolution of the Web
– It distributes Social Media Cultural Artifacts
– It has the potential to become a dominant new media cultural voice
– How can I affirm that and why does it matter to documentary practices?
What is new media ?New media art standard practice is “to take up the products of the technology industries (...) and apply them to its own diverse ends, in a cultural domain. “ (Whitelaw, 2004)?
Nm is a framework that is technology independent.
Nm is a phase of technological evolution.
When an innovation is used to communicate cultural messages is becomes a medium.
A socio-economy approach can help understand its long term implications as a media.
Cultural Industries Socio Economy Analysis
• Understanding of a society's cultural evolution based on: – Critical discourse analysis – Cultural Industries (Miège, 2000) analysis framework
that observes the emerging models associated with a media innovation:
• Communication models• Creative, Production and Distribution models• Economy models • Industrial Framework ( Production and Distribution models)
• New markets
Design of mediated communication imply specific values sets
Design of mediated communication imply specific values sets
Design of mediated communication imply specific values sets
Design of mediated communication imply specific values sets
Ideology is a system of ideas which is tacite to actors; it represents the interests of a specific social class (Weber, 1930).
Socio-economy tries to apprehend the dominant ideologies of a system.
Ideology Organizations that strive for power will try to influence the ideology of a society to become closer to what they want it to be. Political organizations (governments included) and other groups (e.g. lobbyists) try to influence people by broadcasting their opinions.
Control ?
Any mediated communication system (media)= tacite representation of ideology( Castoriadis, 1987, Moeglin 2001)
Different communication processes give control of value chain to different actors. The ones who have most control over accessto messages or can massified their voice can influence the public's perception of societal evolution and define history
But a new IC technology is not automatically a new media
Cycle of Innovation
Technology?
All current media was once a new media
Photography – in relation to paintingFilm – in relation to theater and photography
nm practices= diverse contexts that all celebrate experimenting with innovations
Currently Experiential Media are emerging new media
Physical Computing, Virtual Worlds such as SL, Artificial Intelligence
Cycle of innovation – Experimental Phase
Creative Experimentation• PHASE 1: Remediation
Designers from other media come to a new platform
• Research Tool For Another MediaI.e. Photography to Painting
• Distribution For Another Media• Film : http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sundance%20Channel/72/66/31• Museums: Abyss Museum
• Remediation processMachinima: http://youtube.com/watch?v=LxVDVggLqsA
• Archival medium Photography: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hotgates/38/198/48
• Exhibition: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hotgates/126/123/51
Creative Experimentations
• Phase 2: Emerging Forms• Hyperformalism: Dan Coyote
Code as visual arthttp://slurl.com/secondlife/uvvy/85/209/26
• Reactive Art: Art galleryCode as visual and behavioural art
• SL InternshipAlternate spacial designs
• Physical-virtual HybridsAlternative interfaces
Economic Experiments
• Documentary Film• Piano bar
Can Second Life House New Forms of Documentary?
Yes!But are these new forms viable in the long term?
Cycle of Innovation - media
Second Life is a hybrid system
Blend of multiple industrial frameworks of
Mass multimedia Mass social media Synthetic Media
• Simulation • Gaming
Mass Multimedia (Early Net)• Public gets access to information
– One way communication – static content, – one way publishing of content – no any real interaction between users
Values information as financial commodity
• Market : media objects, products, sold per unit
Early Net Production Model Traditional media industry and economy model
transposed to a network system
Production: Building home pages, Specialized production tools Using a production team paid by a single employer
Designers team control experience of users Institutional Financing structure controls: production of content access and distribution of content (client-server type of traffic)
Social Media (Mature Net)
• Databases and XML allow for n-way communication between humans
• Characterized by– social networking, – blogging, tagging, – user generated content and video.
• Ability to mash up data feeds and databases to cross reference information from multiple sources
Change in values: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE
Flickr, Del.icio.us, blogs , Wikipedia,
• Influencing Broadcasting
Mature Net Production Models Production:
Users build their own blogs production and distribution tools are now the same Individual write their own content Participatory design: the community designs the experience Each individual can produce content
Financing structure is redefined: Communities
Control of over access to content: Via storage of data
Individuals finance structure that controls: production of content access and distribution of content
Synthetic Media Visualization of relationships n-way communication
between machines between humans between machines and
humans
Characterized by shift from asynchronous data
stream to synchronous data algorithms based narratives Co-creation of narratives by
Algorythms or humansControl: mapping of data.
Data Visualization as Documentary
Emergence of practices based on data flow
Dream Addict We feel fine
simulation capture social and information activities
sl a moves to 3D visualization (weather station)
Mass Gaming
Uses experience as narrative tool Paris Riot Docks disputes 911 survivors
Incorporates Ai Physical Computing
3D I Hybrid Economy System
Source: http://wadatripp.wordpress.com/2007/03/02/3di-as-a-platform-for-entrepreneurial-capitalism/
Institution Economy (Early Net and gaming)
• Traditional Corporate Model and Cultural Industries Models (Miege, Tremblay, 2001)
• Production Capital• Product sold for profit
Source: Ross Dawson, http://www.rossdawsonblog.com/weblog/archives/2007/07/in_the_leadup_t.html
Open Source Economy (Mature Net and Simulation)
Service economy (Moeglin, 2004)
Compassionate Entrepreneur (Smith, 1759) and the freelancer model ( Gensollen, 2007) and Actant networks (Latour, 1990).
• Peer to Peer economy:• Indy Film ebay, filmbay
Reputation Capital, referant capital
3D Internet
• Innovation Model that uses all previous models
• Hybrid system: Eutrepreneurs work THROUGH corporations (Schumpeter, 1942) that find her/him via social networks.
• Knowledge and Social Capital
Cycle of Innovation – Traditional Markets
Cycle of Innovation – Open Source Markets
Different Market Model
• Investment & Pre-Marketing:– Grants and internships
• Marketing– Early Net: advertising– Mature Net: word of mouth– 3DI: both
Marketing as Extension of Mass Broadcast Media
• Second Life on Television• Csi• The Office • Law & Order: SVU.
Open Source Platform
The following innovations: Android Plaform Photosynth Motion capture
Make SL a LIVE and reactive documentation archival platform