//23 but looks 17// Photographer// World Traveler// Ocean Lover// Adventurer //
This is a blog about my life and about traveling. My goal is to inspire others to travel to expand their way of thinking.
Connected: An Autoblogography about Love, Death and Technology
I recently found out that Google was going to host a documentary film called Connected and made a mental and digital note on my Google calendar to go watch it. I had already seen the trailer last week at the Youtube Presents event and was instantly interested. As we were sitting watching the trailer, about 2/3 of the audience was sitting there typing away on their laptops. I chuckled.
Today was the day that the film was being shown. I made sure to get all my work done early so that I would have the time to head on over to the venue at 3:00pm. None of my co-workers were interested in going. No matter. When there’s something I really want to see it or do it, I’ll do it regardless. When I arrived I noticed about only 1/5 of the venue filled with viewers. I suppose everyone else was busy or the event didn’t receive as much publicity. I was delighted to find out that the film was being presented by the director, Tiffany Schlain, and that it was a pre-screening!
Tiffany explores many ideas in the documentary which are highly relevant today. This would be THE film to define our current stage in technology and culture. She introduces how we’ve become so addicted to our technology and uses that as a springboard to delve into the positive and not so great possibilities. Namely, using technology to be interdependent and effecting change, in a good way. In the middle of making her film, her father was diagnosed with brain cancer and she became pregnant. Unintentionally these events also began to shape and change the film a bit. Her use of animations and metaphors is brilliant, perfectly evoking the emotions of certain events. Her repetition of certain images in the beginning and once again at the end of the film create an interesting juxtaposition of ideas as her ideas further develop after her father’s issues.
The film reminds me of a stream of consciousness and was ordered in a very neat way. Bit by bit, the story is built up and when she makes her realizations you do too! You’re sitting in your seat thinking to yourself “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” while the light bulb begins to light.
Imagine how many times a day we have to call the attention of others while they’re glued to their smart phones, Nintendo DS’s, laptops, or television sets. With those away, you can give someone your full and undivided attention. How many times does your friend check their phone while you’re hanging out with them, breaking the attention of the conversation? Tiffany, at the Q and A session afterwards mentioned something really interesting. Once a week, she and her family get unplugged. They turn off the television, the cell phones, the computers, and just live life without all those things. It’s a nice time to dedicate your time to other things, such as your family.
I urge you all to watch this film. It’s wonderfully made and plays with a lot of modern day concepts. It will be released next week. The official website is:
