Google Glasses – a new narrative spectrum
“In its self-contained way, Google Glass joins the 21st-century notion that everyone is a filmmaker with the more conventionally accepted truth that everyone is an audience.”
In that sense I think that Google glass would definitely change ways that docs, news are being made, anything that is audio visual form of communication. It will radically change ways of World’s further both democratization and manipulation. Perhaps it will change the history of a mankind in certain way.
For example, let’s take into a consideration ongoing debate between both World’s leaders, intellectuals and journalists on Kiev uprising. Some say protesters were armed and even had snipers, some say they were peaceful. If lots of people had Google glasses and if we had channels to see what they see there on both sides we would kind of know more precisely what really happened. And we would know better how was it to be in skin of people of both sides. Of course there would always be a space for a manipulation, but that would radically change too. It is to discover how. I mentioned Kiev recent events but I had also personal experience of being manipulated by media in my own country during some events in the nineties. (Just a couple of wars and a revolution.) In that time medias from the West and from my own country reported completely different news from the same places. Just one go pro camera from the spot, linked to a satellite would help people understand what was really going on, perhaps change course of history. Not to mention what a mass usage of Google glasses would be able to bring. So, I believe that Google glasses can change lot more than the cinematography. And at the end they will change the cinematography itself. At least it will change that cinematography which treats realism – the reality itself will be changed.
Who wouldn’t pay 100$ to see the world with eyes of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, just one day? Or some other celebrity artist? Who knows, maybe writers discover new spectrum of narrative possibilities of in such live P.O.V. Maybe Google Glasses become new, eight medium? An E-glass artist. People whose POV other people like to watch.
A carrier of the glasses can create and re-create a completely new sense of reality. It can tell new stories, in time in space. Not to mention how it can change approach to documentaries and news. I am prone to believe that with new media such as Google Glasses, the standard formats of news packages and narratives will change. For example, we used to watch narrative structure on film in duration of approximately 90 to 150 minutes. We used to read books of over 200 pages over an approximate span of a couple of days or weeks, depends on a reader… Maybe new lengths will be necessary. Maybe there will be Google Glasses artists? People who will be interesting enough to “distribute” or “share” their own lifes? Maybe it will be interesting to watch how fiction and reality change and interweave in their eyes. A true postmodernism of a narrative.
(Oh, by the way, I wonder if for sake of aesthetics Google contact lenses will be invented.)
It is well known how stand up comedians art is interweaved with reactions of an audience. It will be interesting to see how these two interact. This new medium will definitely change nature of reality shows. See the world with Eyes of George Clooney. There won’t be no shows, there will be something new. (The Sopranos from a POV of each member of a family?) Something kitchy and something that is art, as there always was. Or something more arty – see how Mike Leigh works with his actors. Or how these actors recreate their an innermost world of roles they are playing. See how they play. Play poker with Martin Sheen and his girlfriend. The day of Barak Obama. Maybe the democrats and republicans will split one day over a question – should the people be able to supervise their democratically elected president? To have a control over those who have a control over us. Parliament sessions in many European countries are televised. Then, should the rapists be obliged to wear them and have an opened channel? Maybe there won’t be no jails – maybe the sentences will be to carry them 24hours and have an opened channel in order that everybody could control you. Practically, when you have an access to someone’s POV 24hours per day it is enormous pressure on these people and practically you won’t need to read their thoughts, you see them. Maybe even more clearly than they can see them… Then… Supervise your kids at school…
There are myriads, millions, zillions of questions how such new medium could be used. In that sense I can predict a fundamental change of many formats. These changes will bring the completely new course of the history. As The Internet did, some twenty years ago.
Interesting post, I really haven’t given much thought to the possibilities of google glass and you had a few interesting ideas. My favourite, eavesdrop on Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s day.