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Sunday, February 01, 2009

The New Social Networking Site: MyFace

MyFace? This is the way I'm gonna earn my millions. (To heck with MySpace. Turn away your nose from Facebook!)

I'm gonna set up a site that allows subscribers to capture and project close up video images of themselves indefinitely, real time, and communicate those into the cyber-nerve-endings of every other interested sentient creature on the planet, 24 hours a day (at least for those that have an Internet connection). MyFace. Remember that. MyFace.

We all know that virtually everyone wants to be a movie star, right? Virtually everyone wants to see his or her own visage out there on the Big Screen.

No words are needed, really. Only real time images.

In fact, I want this to do away with the necessity of words, typing, emoticans, photos, updates. (After all----words can be obtuse, misleading, a barrier to the nonverbal that really says so much anyway.)

But images? Yes yes yes, streamlined video, constant, undeniable, soul-bearing...for those WHO HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE, of course.

And what can others (governments, employers, individuals...BIG BROTHER) get out of this---well, you just tap into the videos that interest you. 24-hour access. For surveillance, better than any CCTV cam or private eye; for entertainment, better than your average webcam or a trip to the video store.

I have to admit, there are some wrinkles in this idea: The part that is bothering me most is how to create the photo-technology needed to keep track of users 24/7. Do I create a miniature camera that rests on the tip of the human nose? Do I loop from a strand of hair? But what will we do for the skinheads?



Don't know. But for those who have tired of words, spaces, freeze frames and facebooks, please check out this indictment.

MyFace Rules!

6 comments:

Terry Ho Chao Jin said...

I dont think many people will be willing to allow other individuals( friends or strangers) to track what they are doing every minute of their day. For me, even when i use programme such as Facebook, i would think twice before uploading any personal or embarassing photos of myself. To me, the current networking platform are good enough as we are able to screen the materials (video, photos and writings) before uploading.

Unknown said...

Hi the fact that our real life and our virtual life are colliding is rather frigtening to me :p

I do admit that there's something voyeuristic about facebook(though i still log in everyday)so Myface sounds even scarier with a 'Big-Brother' flavour to it. Haha but i think we all recognize that 'online socializing' has became part of our life so it's better to create more awareness about the potential problems it can bring. To me, i definitely feels weird whenever i walk past friends who don't talk to me in the school canteen but often send me flowers on Facebook! I still appreciate the nice gestrure though and i think it is important to achieve the Balance in our social life online and offline :)

snll said...

Hi Mr. Brad Blackstone :)

I read the article you linked, and it is really sad. Albeit Facebook, Myspace etc are called social networking sites, I never thought that people would be so SOCIABLE as this. I've received friend requests from unknown people and being the well, conservative person I am, I either reject them straight away if I don't know them, or ask them who they are, after which if there isn't a reply or an unsatisfactory reply, I would reject them. A website that was set up with the intention of bringing people closer has ended up as a means to commit adultery, tearing up a marriage. How sad.

In addition to your really radical idea of 24/7 realtime video of a person (it'll be like reality tv in reality), may I suggest that maybe the camera could be placed near the eye. That way, we could see what the person sees and hear what the person says/hears. A new meaning to seeing through another's eyes. Or if the camera is placed on the shoe (it could be called the camera-shoe and only be worn when they want to be viewed), we could walk in another's shoe!

I wish you all the best in your endeavour to make millions out of myFace. Maybe, you can even collaborate with Shi Hui's Buttbook. :)

sway said...

I cant help but "stalk" your post right after the lesson; seemingly an intriguing idea, because what you wrote reminded me of how celebrities actually do a real life show reflecting their daily life (like Paris hilton's simple life and jessica simpson's Newly Wed). Excitement aside, wouldnt it make stalkers (like me haha kidding) life simpler for them to stalk their prey? Scary as it might sound, i kinda liked the idea though.

We'd never know what will appeal to the world next, for all we know, i may be announcing to everyone how one of my lecturer in NUS became a billionaire.

Anonymous said...

Hi Peet, I like this post. The totalitarian MyFace is scary. Although some would like to think that its CIA version is already in operation in the States. Just watched Eagle Eye and it was unnerving!

This facebook thing is too interactive that one can seem to have a real relationship with it. So I stopped it. One trigger point is when I felt that I have to put up some stuff to explain myself, like a picture of a new boyfriend or the recent holiday. And it's just so much of self-promotion and showing off. It's sometimes masturbatory - an unattractive girl I know posts the hottest pictures she photoshopped and gained popularity and proud of that popularity, it was sickening to me.

By the way, with regards to the article, nothing similar happened to my life, but I feel for most of the things she said there eg. third-person narrative, adding random stranger, etc.

yuka said...

This may not be related to your idea of "MyFace", but I read an article on a new networking site called "HateBook". It is basically a site for users to share with the rest what they hate. Personally, I think it's a rather toxic website.

You may want to check it out:)