Whisper Anonymously

Whisper is another app designed to allow people to post secrets anonymously on the internet.  Unlike Secret, Whisper postings are completely anonymous and shared with everybody, not just friends, or those in your social circle. In this regard, Whisper acts more like a forum for confessions rather than a place to post comments about, or to your friends, anonymously.

Sharing deep, dark secrets anonymously can feel liberating, especially if it’s the kind of thing you wouldn’t share if people knew your identity.  The app seems to be particularly popular with millenials in the 18-24 age range.  Perhaps it’s because they’ve all grown up with digital communications and haven’t developed the necessary skills to interact with people face-to-face, or develop meaningful connections in this way.

Numerous articles are written about the appeal of anonymous internet communications and why they can also be damaging.  When people are allowed to post anonymously it removes the accountability from the posting.  Some of the anonymous posts end up being a form of cyber bullying, or contain abusive language or profanity.  Due to the heavy traffic and usage of these apps the companies have a  responsibility to monitor posts and ensure that participants are complying with terms of usage.

Also, since you’re required to create a login and password it means posted content is not really anonymous.  A quick read through the privacy policy for Whisper, or any of these related apps, will explain exactly which information is being collected on every user and post.  On some level this is for security reasons.  In case a post contains something related to a crime the company may be required to report it to the proper authorities.  But on other levels, it’s likely just to mine data and sell it to retailers for more targeted advertising.  All of these anonymous secret-sharing apps are free, but that doesn’t mean they don’t come attached with a hidden cost and agenda.

And yet Whisper is gaining in popularity, along with other apps all promising the allure of anonymous posting. A quick read through any of the topics posted on the Whisper home page will attest to this.  Some of them are hilarious and harmless, like this one about people who love bacon too much, while others are more poignant and thoughtful.  The impact of these anonymous sharing apps has yet to be fully realized, but their inherent popularity is sure to influence something.

Anonymous Secrets

I’ve often heard that one of the best (and worst) features of the internet is that it gives everybody a voice.  Often it seems that the “voice” is showcasing the brightest, best and proudest moments of one’s life.  The perspective then becomes a distorted view of how we see ourselves and more importantly, how we want to be seen by others.

A new app, Secret, aims to bring back the genuine side missing in digital communication by allowing friends to share secrets anonymously.  One advertisement reads “Speak Freely – Introducing a new way to connect with friends.”  I find this confusing.  To me connecting with friends, or another human, means sharing the vulnerabilities, the ugly bits, and the fun stuff.  So how are meaningful connections built with friends through anonymous communications?  The word “friend” in the digital world often has a different connotation from “friend” in the flesh-and-blood world.  A digital friend could be only a connection, a contact, or an anonymous and random stranger with whom you bonded over toneless digital communications and emoticons.

Over thousands of years humans have developed behaviors and emotions to engage in face-to-face interactions.  Technology made some aspects of this easier, at least for maintaining contact either on a more frequent or long-distance basis.  But along with this readily available easy communication, the human element got trampled.  Secret is now trying to recapture it by providing a forum for friends to anonymously share secrets.  What’s the point?

A blog post on The Huffington Post called Social Media’s New Dark ‘Secret’, discusses how damaging Secret is precisely because every post is about somebody in your social circle.  Even though it’s anonymous sometimes enough details are shared that everybody knows who is being referenced even without names.  In this case wouldn’t it be better to just talk to your “friend” directly rather than posting potentially damaging things about him/her?  Isn’t that what friends are for?

Reading through the company website it seems that the founders of Secret really believe anonymous sharing fosters a sense of community and openness with your circle.  To me it just sounds like a digital version of writing on the bathroom wall about somebody, similar to when I was in middle school.

There are so few things that we truly own in this world.  Your voice is one of them, be mindful of that.  It’s precious.

Iguassu Falls: Argentina Upper Trail

Before embarking on our second day at Iguassu Falls a fellow traveller and I visualized our animal wish list: monkeys, hummingbirds, and toucans.  Throughout the day we sent vibes out to channel the animals.  The day commenced with Devil’s Throat (posted in February).  I was fortunate enough to see an otter swimming, which I considered an animal wish list bonus.

After Devil’s Throat we walked along the Upper and Lower Trails to see more spectacular views before going on a raft ride underneath a waterfall in the afternoon.  This last excursion was not photographed for obvious reasons.  The OtterBox is protective, but not that protective.

As we walked on the paths dozens of brilliantly colored butterflies fluttered around.  I was able to get a close up of this one hanging out on the railing.  It took a lot of patience.

One of the many butterflies we saw. This one is probably sopping up some sweet sweat with its proboscis.

One of the many butterflies we saw. This one is probably sopping up some sweet sweat with its proboscis.

Here’s the same butterfly after it flew off.  It was probably irritated at me for taking so many close ups!

The same butterfly resting after its meal.

The same butterfly resting after its meal.

Below is a coatimundi.  It’s kind of like a South American raccoon.  We saw a whole family of them on the Brazilian side the day before around a cafe trying to scavenge food scraps.

Coatimundi hanging out in the woods.

Coatimundi hanging out in the woods.

Shortly after we saw Capuchin Monkeys playing around in the branches.  Everybody on the trail stopped to watch them.  They were too far away and too obscured by the branches to photograph so I observed them with my full attention to savor the experience.  It was pretty amazing.  They’re incredibly cute, agile animals and extremely playful.

One last stunning view of the falls.  I was continually amazed at the tenacity of the plants growing and hanging out in the forceful parts of the falls.

Close up of the amazing plants hanging out and thriving in the falls.

Close up of the amazing plants hanging out and thriving in the falls.

Next stop the Lower Trail.  We still had two animals to go on the wish list.

The Creative Process

For some reason I instinctually want to begin the creative process in analog.  Maybe it’s because I’m a musician so creating organically feels the most natural.  Whenever I want to write, I always reach for paper first and then I remind myself to use the keyboard.  As a child I kept tons of journals and notebooks. I was always scribbling something. The tactile sensations were part of the experience.  Different kinds of paper were for writing about certain things.  I used different ink styles ranging from ballpoint, to gel rollers, to glittery, all in a variety of brilliant colors.  It enhanced the experience for me.  I felt more engaged.  Over the past few years an injury in my thumb has prevented me from handwriting and it has largely disrupted my creative process.

When handwriting first started to become kind of painful, I was resistant to typing on the computer.  For years, actually, I stopped writing as much.  It felt too impersonal like I was separated from the words.  When I handwrite I’m engaged in the motion.  Typing, on the other hand, feels like punching out a pattern to create words.  It changes the experience.

In a notebook, I have the option to go anywhere with my pen.  Shapes, designs and words all come out in fluid motions.  It’s a different experience on the computer or a device.  On the computer it’s challenging to do anything more than just straight typing.  I have a few drawing apps on my iPad and a couple of different styluses.  Some aspects of this are amazing because I can change colors and implements in seconds.  But the stylus is not as precise as actually holding an implement.  Another challenge is not being able to see the whole canvas.  On some drawing programs it’s difficult to add pages, whereas in the physical world you could tape two pieces of paper together.

After pouting about it for a few years, I decided to embrace the changes. As a compromise I will often scribble a few small notes or sketch something out on paper before transferring it to electronic.  I still consider handwriting to be part of my creative process. Although I am now extremely grateful to have digital options available, without which I wouldn’t be able to write The Deletist every week!

 

Technombie 2

Senjina silently urged the cab to hurry.  She hadn’t wanted to end the date early, but the mayor had just been accused of smoking crack.  As a result everybody was required to receive a special-issue infoozian.  Some mandatory, regulated thing and Senjina didn’t want to miss the first one.

At times Senjina had had a faint suspicion about infoozians, but the thought always drifted away in a fog before she could grasp it.  It was just as well.  Like most people she felt rundown when she slacked on getting the necessary brain boost from routine infoozians.  Anybody who went too long without one automatically received random zaps until they hooked up.

She didn’t mind, really.  The infoozians were totally worth it, especially since installing the system meant her personal informatics were collected, analyzed, and monitored.  Without that data she couldn’t figure out anything about herself.  How was she supposed to know how to feel?  She couldn’t just react to something without understanding if an accelerated heart rate was due to her surroundings, a conversation, or even something she ate.  She just didn’t know anymore and relied heavily on personal informatics to tell her everything she needed to know.  Only then could she regulate her environment for pleasurable and stress-free interactions.

Senjina remembered how personal informatics had first changed her life.  It started with a fitband used to monitor her heart rate and energy levels for optimal weight loss.  The idea caught on and people wanted other things measured.  Apps and devices appeared to monitor sleep cycles.  High-end systems included machines to adjust air quality and temperatures to ensure every night was restful. And still people needed to know more.  New apps and devices flooded the market, all designed to track and integrate stats on overall functioning.

Soon people were wearing as many as 15 devices. Then a genius figured out everything could be replaced with a single finger-sized feed embedded deep in the forearm and fused with the nervous system.  The best part was people no longer had to think because everything was now automatically recorded, analyzed, and spit out in customized stats reports.  Senjina, of course, knew the whole story through her initial infoozians.

The cab arrived and she exited, no need for money and words.  It was all handled seamlessly through her feed.  She bounded up the steps eager to know if the jitters signified the first hints of love or a reaction to the restaurant’s noxious atmosphere.

Next installment: Technombie 3

*This is entirely a work of fiction, but was in part inspired by the sources listed below.  Zombies are often depicted as rotting, brainless, moaning undead humans, but I think other manifestations can be found in today’s society. The story is about how disconnected and zombie-like we become when we rely on technology to tell us how we should feel rather than learning about our own bodies and trusting our instincts.

Chris Dancy, self-described as the “world’s most connected man”: http://mashable.com/2014/08/21/most-connected-man/

Klosterman, Chuck, “My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead,” New York Times: Television Section, December 3, 2010.  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/arts/television/05zombies.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 [accessed 12 October 2014]

 

Technombie

A low-pitched gurgling noise escaped the ocean as she heaved her last strangled wave onto the beach.  Gillian Bean was the only person to witness it. She was sitting quietly on the sand at the shoreline near her home.  An ashy cloud covering obscured the full moon, but even so, Gillian still felt bathed in a bright, silvery light.

For years Gillian had been unable to inhale the salty, fresh sweetness of the ocean but still retained a strong memory of what it smelled like.  Just imagining the smell was enough for Gillian to remember the ocean washing up shells, seaweed and small creatures through a never-ending cycle of rhythmic waves.  Tonight the waves stopped leaving behind forever a thick, viscous soup of primordial bacteria and dense jellyfish, teeming with brilliantly colored bits of plastic.

A tear slid silently down one cheek.  Gillian knew a small window of time existed before somebody would catch her.  But she needed to be in control again of what she was feeling.  First she inhaled deeply to slow down her heart rate.  The feed would know she was reaching intolerable stress levels and she would receive an incapacitating zap.  She reached for her flask and took a swig.

With her eyes closed she imagined the salty beach air and could almost hear the soft shushing motion of the waves.  This would be her final memory she decided while removing a straight edge razor from her front pocket.  Acting on a reserve of determination she cut deeply into her forearm revealing the embedded finger-sized feed.  Grimacing from the pain, she separated the feed from her nervous system and flung it deep into the sludge.  The pain was excruciating.  Time was limited before tremors would overtake her preventing the task from being finished.  She risked being “rescued.”

One…two…three, Gillian whispered, placing the point of the blade on the underside of her wrist.  Salty waves, she thought pressing down.  Her form crumpled onto the sand and rolled forward into the slop.

Across the bay, Senjina was in a cab heading home from a first date.  She couldn’t wait to plug in for a stats reading.  She’d felt jittery, which was either a sign of attraction, warning, or the environment.  The restaurant had been trendy and loud triggering Senjina’s aversion to noise.  Nothing about her reactions would make sense until she could see those measurements.

*Happy Halloween!  Read the next installment Technombie 2.  In case you’re wondering, the whole story is completely fictitious.