DANCING IN THE DIGITAL AGE

http://www.merryweatherjones.com/content/dancing_in_the_digital_age Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:16:43 GMT DANCING IN THE DIGITAL AGE I was reading a piece with Jesse Siminski (a.k.a. Heartthrob) in Interview today, which tied up like this: Anita Sarko: And what's more magical than creating that feeling of being back in your basement with your friends, throwing records onto the record player? Heartthrob: With a fantastic sound system. AS: The sound system you always wanted. H: Maybe have some attractive people around to create some sexual tension. AS: Oh, you've got to. You don't meet people if you stay at home. H: There's always the Internet. AS: Well, that's true. H: But there's no magic on the dance floor there, right? And that's more powerful stuff, dance-floor magic. I take exception to that remark. Good posting is almost exactly like a dance, and has the potential to be a more potent exchange of information than any physical bump-and-grind, in my opinion. My favorite correspondant last year was an unknown vandal I exchanged words and drawings with over the course of several months on a bathroom stall in a grocery store, who I never met in person--who I didn't need to meet in person, because that wasn't the purpose of our conversation. Anyone who enjoys text-wrestleing anonymous strangers on message boards does it for the coversational exercise, not in the hope that someone thousands of miles away will one day show up with bjs and blow ("Have a cookie"). Yes, the Internet is shit for conveying emotion. But difficulty in communication forces a person to be inventive. If the Internet is a hard instrument to play, I see it as a challenge, and a way of teaching myself how to be more thoughtful and composed; it's also a way of weeding out those incapable, or uninterested, in surmounting such obstacles. I think it's just trendy for the trendy to give it a thumbs down without much thought. You wouldn't want to be one of those people who blogs, or has a Myspace, or uses a chat room. No way. Because that isn't cool. In reality, the technology is quite impressive and very useful. Is there magic on the digital dance floor? Yeah, but a different kind. Morcheeba, Heartthrob http://www.merryweatherjones.com/content/dancing_in_the_digital_age http://www.merryweatherjones.com/viewcomments.php?articleid=163