Thinking Critically about Rocketboom.  

                                                                                                bcmeikle@shaw.ca

       If web culture is going to evolve then it needs to be written about critically, like literature, or theatre. I wrote this critic piece on musician Andrew Huang's music blog a while back. Now let's look at Amanda's show.

      I'll have to admit I have serious prejudices to challenge here. If you look at my (dubious) video blog from last winter, there is an entry on web video to link to, and I dont have rocketboom there. That's because the first few times I came across the show I dismissed amanda.
          Cherry 2000.
           Way too pretty to actually listen to.
          She looks like TV and TV is the problem we're trying to fix.

        Now I see that really Amanda's show is required watching if one wants to say they've checked out what's available of quality on the web.

       I mean there are other things to prejudice me...the World White Web aspect came into it. This can be seen on this map. These are the photographers I work with. Less than 10% of the people on the planet are white. Why is the picture we're getting of white people, taken by white people?

    The alternagencia from the 60's had Hubris-in-a-can called 'The Whole Earth Catalog'. A bunch of white rich kids tried to convince themselves that they spoke for the world in a catalog.(not really it was more about holism but the inference was there...)  Today we have a 'World Wide Web' that is mostly white rich kids too. I dont think anyone has any illusions of speaking for the world, but what would it take to be more universal on the web?
 
   ....together with ZeFrank I could see the young country club beauties from the sprawl populating cyberspace with meaningful images learned painfully in expensive art schools and private lessons with geniuses... News stories would mostly be from america, the only language spoken would be english...the IMPLIED MAP would look a lot like the photographer's map above...I dont get a sense that either Amanda or Ze have ever stepped off the edge of where all the dots are on that map...I'd like to see more shows done from outside the dotted areas.

    anyways I actually sat and watched Amanda's shows last night and they were pretty good. She is smart, and learning, and that's all she needs. This one on a debutante talking about her Humvee struck a chord with me...and this one on a vid blogger making african villagers the focus was great.
 
     When I first saw her a voice in my head screamed 'SOROTIY' and I'll
have to admit I didn't completely get over that watching the show. Like most of us, all I could see was strap on depth. Spray on good intentions...but shit vid blogging is hard. I tried it. Even Amanda must get sick of looking at amanda, and looking so white bread and country club.

       I guess a big conclusion I had about web tv is that universality is stupid. We might as well make shows that tell stories from several perspectives in several languages, because saying 'Im american and so are you!' is offensive.

      So what are my suggestions?
        Amanda and Ze should form  a webtv network. It should only be based out of new york for a while longer. Then it should be based out of London for a few years. I know its hard to hear but London is closer to the centre of the world than New york. After a few years it should move again. A new centre: Bangkok. Amanda knows enough that the world map she sits in front of has the pacific in its centre. New York and London were saying goodby to old Atlantica, Bangkok is saying Hello to Pacifica.


       But hold it, why a city? I think the new world tv network should be on a tiny paradise island down by koh samui. I mean there are lots of other countries in the centre of pacifica. Japan, Australia, Phillipines, but Thailand and the Bhuddist people who live there is special and awesome.  Eventually you have to project: "the web doesn't make you much money, but you can do it anywhere, even paradise. " Then when you get old, move back to the u.s. maybe hawaii or los angeles.       

      If its going to be a world medium we have to figure out ways to make it that way... I get a sense that Amanda might be committed enough to try...


ADDENDUM: isnt rocketboom based out of San Francisco?