My desktop narrative is meant to tell the every-day internet life of a conspiracy theorist internet addict in a bit of a comedic fashion, with an emphasis on the sound-track so to speak.
I made all of my sounds first and as I modified it I created a story around them, at first I thought of a man extremely high on drugs struggling to use a computer due to the warped nature of the sounds, notably the incoming call sound that goes across the piece, but that wasn’t an extremely interesting story to say the least, so influenced by this I thought of this man who is distracted and all over the place in this cluttered space of the desktop not because he is high but rather because he is doing something we all have done from time to time on the internet, delve into the internet, grasp straws with conspiracy theories and argue with people online. In a sense the actions reflective of internet addiction that he takes can be considered drug-like in their own right akin to the original thought.
As I was editing the idea developed into something a bit more complex, tackling the issue of the excess of information, which ironically makes it is even harder to find the truth these days, and so people are beginning to subscribe to their own personal truths, as the desktop user in my video does watching Alex Jones and lurking websites that solidify his beliefs, rather than peering into those that reflect the other side, ignoring rebuttal to the lack of evidence in what he considers fact.
It mostly consists of desktop sounds, notifications, and a piece of a song extremely warped in different fashions, this allowed me to focus more on just the user and the sounds but it also emphasizes the fact that this is an isolated or delusional person behind the screen separated from truth and reality.
Liam, first of all, I created a new post because you used the “Immersive Post” rather than the regular one. So now the post is displayed properly.
I found this piece quite compelling as a critique of truth in our mediated culture. By invoking such figures as Alex Jones, you help us to better understand how people like the character you have created could be led astray by disinformation and outright lying on the Internet. Truth and fiction has become quite blurred and your dystopic portrait of a person “under the influence” of fakery and conspiracy on the net is very nicely conveyed.
In terms of the essay itself, I would have liked to see references to readings, artists we have studied, etc., as well as more contextual information about the experience of the desktop itself, as outlined in the final project assignment.
That said, I commend you for a fantastic and compelling work and insight into the nature of reality and information on the net.