Scott McLemee : I Am a Camera
"Whatever its implications for the study of celebrity (or narcissism, for that matter), Webcam broadcasting defies the usual categories applied to the media. Cinematic theory has dealt exhaustively with the question of how the "gaze" operates in film. And in television studies, researchers refer to the "glance," in keeping with Raymond Williams's observation that television often serves as the background to ordinary life (something you leave on and look at while doing other things). Alluding to these notions but tweaking them a bit, Senft suggests that the relevant term for Webcam watching is "grab": The bored viewer will "grab" a quick look at another individual's no-longer-private life. With its aggressive and almost tactile connotations, the "grab," according to Senft, carries suggestive overtones of life under late phallocentric capitalism. After all, "grab" is something a sexual harasser does to an ass. But "grab" is also what a hurried consumer does to the Extreme Taco Meal Deal at a fast-food restaurant."
Ian Brown : "We hired Human Barbie."
(real evil g2)