Nonhuman

The body adorned, the body’s metamorphosis into a garmented state – the interactive process – elevated both physically and imaginatively; The fashioned body as locus of reciprocity and individuality. Layering as self-transformation, on the periphery of self-visualization, never fully able to realize this realization in its wholeness. The fashioned body: the sticky tentacle for the [...]

Social Media and The Specular Image: The Floating Head

For Jacques Lacan, “the specular image” can be envisioned through the example of one seeing oneself in the mirror. The act of seeing the perceived wholeness of oneself in the reflection of the mirror is captivating for the child. It is this captivating gaze that produces the specular image (Encyclopedia of Lacanian Psychoanalysis). Is it [...]

The Extimacy of the Interface

Between the person and the interface of social media, there is a human or humans. In this medium of the blog, I present the reader with static yet increasing snippets from my side of existence and from the zone of other networked friends, bloggers, writers, musicians, designers, critics and thinkers that are blended as a [...]

A Messy Marco-Analysis of Social Media: The Labyrinthine Self

Image from WikipediaThe following is a messy macro-analysis of social media and I hope to elucidate these ideas in the coming weeks. Please bear with me. Also, if you have spent time with what is talked about here, please get in touch, suggest links, propose theories, probes, ideas, etc. I support fragmentation. It seems that [...]

The Publicity Image: Zach Galifianakis and Absolut

Zach Galifianakis recently made a commercial for Absolut Vodka (featuring the comedic duo “Tim and Eric“). Apparently, Galifianakis was given complete control in the making of this commercial. How are we supposed to react to this video? What is this publicity image saying to us? What creeps in below the radar and why is this [...]

Punch-Drunk Love: Probing Love with Lacan

Image from Wikipedia “Punch-Drunk Love” is a film by Paul Thomas Anderson starring Adam Sandler and Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves) with original music by Jon Brion. I first saw this film while living in South Korea and something about it moved me very much. I later revisited the film while in the United States [...]

Virtual Hysteria: Cyberspace and Reality

The experience of engaging in cyberspace, of living through this interface, presents one with challenging experiences as to the virtuality of the self and to the virtuality of reality. That is, the ability to create (or have created for you), maintain (be maintained) and, ultimately lose control of one’s internet identity and the greeting of [...]