Research critique: Jennicam

 

Supposedly her first image of Jennicam

Prior to Jennicam, there were two other “live camera” web series (Trojan Room Coffee Camera and a fish camera) which were inspirations that Jenny borrowed from. The coffee camera allowed people in University of Cambridge (old computer laboratory) to know if there were still coffee in the dispenser so they don’t have to climb up 7 storeys for nothing. (superbly smart idea). Then there was the fish camera which literally just did like what the name suggests.

What initially struck me when I first review this piece was that it actually resembled that of a security guard watching from a panel a group of CCTVs.

And what Jennifer did was just that. An open surveillance into her personal life. What made this piece such a hit was the idea of letting the whole world into her life and without any form of pretentious factor. (or is it?)

In any case, Jenny confronted the idea of what privacy meant to her and more importantly, how significant it was to others when they watch it and think about it. She placed cameras around her house and did anything and everything she wanted to do like she would normally. And, this whole idea of doing nothing or just watching someone else do something was actually entertaining. People would tune in her broadcast while they did house chores.

And then I gathered that people were actually intrigued by what she does because firstly, they had some form of comparison as to what they were doing on a daily basis. Secondly, it invites curiosity from viewers to find out what she was doing and what she would do next. Thirdly, this allowed the viewers to get to know who Jenny was. What kind of a person she was from her behavior and the things that she does. And very often, these are all very relatable events that add up to why this was such a big thing then.

“In short, Ringley is the “Ed” of the Internet. She has dedicated her life to being an open book, a voluntarily Orwellian existence that allows strangers a peek of her at the height of passion, or more likely, sitting in front of her computer, staring blankly at the screen as she works at her real job, a freelance gig designing Web sites.” – By Jamie Allen
CNN Interactive Senior Writer

This has since inspired what we now call “V-logging” and and this time it allowed for more interaction with both viewers and users, with the vlogger talking through the screen and viewers leaving a comment. And I guess that the inquisitivity of human nature remains, only that now, the privacy that vloggers now face were greater and are subjected to more public scrutiny. This made them stronger as an individual and I guess this is something I think we would a want to take away from the live feeds we have been doing in this class as well. 🙂

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Isaac Chu

Chuwy to the Potter. I don't chew well and neither do I pottery.

One thought on “Research critique: Jennicam”

  1. Good piece. I am curious about your connection between v-logging and JenniCam. Yes, I agree there are similarities in terms of opening one’s life via video, but do you think they are similar in terms of narrative? And aren’t v-logs generally pre-recorded? I am not absolutely sure about this. Anyway, good work dissecting Jennifer Ringley’s life in front of the camera giving up her privacy for seven years!

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