Unit 3: Mediated Experience
Project: ScreenSelfPortrait
- reminder: Project 2 Wiki Pages finalized (links posted on blog page)
— wrap-up documents: Summary/Rationale (due M 11/2 2pm)
Reflection (due M 11/2 10pm) → Instructions Page
Week 11
M 11/02 Discuss: Project outcomes + Unit 3 overview
- Summary/Rationale due classtime (for discussion)
→ discuss: last updates/revisions to overall wiki? (e.g. categories, navigation)
» bonus/optional participation (extra credit): promote wiki & invite collaboration/contribution (via social media; all week)
— post blog entry by 11/07 with your efforts and results (screencapture images recommended)
» also, Optional Blog entry discussing wiki (prompt below)
- Unit 3 Intro: mediation (interfaces, databases, culture) & identity
→ begin reading Super Sad True Love Story (Shteyngart 2010)
W 11/04 hybrid work :
- watch introduction video on YouTube (11:11)
— note key topics for reading & discussion, how novel is intended to help/enhance our study of digital identity
- Discuss: Super Sad True Love Story chapters 1–7
→ include screencapture image of quote/passage (in comment or reply) - Discussion prompts below
F 11/06 Discuss: Super Sad True Love Story through chapter 12
- focus: digital identity and mediated experience in world of the novel
— technology, media ecology (devices and interfaces), culture (contemporary or past, real or fictional), social conventions (especially network platforms & communication)
- looking ahead: completing novel & composing Exercise 3 next week
» due: optional blog entry (bonus credit) — for either prompt (see below)
» Optional Blog Entry (bonus credit)
- 200 words (minimum), with media (screencap image or screencast)
post by Sat 11/07
Prompt — discuss the Class Wiki Project on Participatory Culture:
— if you were to continue the wiki, as an Editor/Admin role, what would you do?
(develop, add, organize, revise/change)
— consider in terms of future readers consulting and potential contributors (both public/unknown and future students in GH class): sections/pages, revisions/consolidations, media? what specifically would you want contributors to add and/or change? (where to start? you might phrase as instructions or request) what effects or outcomes would you want? what do you recommend (necessary/beneficial) for making our wiki a compelling source for learning about Participatory Culture, in months/years to come…?
-
*note: while this is speculative, avoid overly-broad points in favor of specific ideas from your working on the project in all stages (editing existing, draft/revising, editing classmate’s pages & receiving edits). Also, be sure not to criticize/disparage any pages; rather, all potential updates should be productive and beneficial ideas. (in other words, this is not a review/critique of the project — but a prospective look considering readers consulting our wiki entries)
» W 11/04 Discuss: Super Sad True Love Story (chapters 1–7)
1. Brief Comment (due 230pm):
frame or discuss (1−2 sentences) a particular aspect of the novel considering any of our key topics:
technology, media ecology (devices and interfaces); culture (traditional, popular, emerging); social conventions (especially with network platforms); digital identity, mediated experience…
*include (screenshot or quote) a specific passage/quotation that you particularly liked or found interesting, regarding these topics.
note: this can appear in your initial comment or in your classmate reply.
2. Classmate Reply (due 3pm):
in brief comment (1−2 sentences), try extending or making connections from your classmate’s point and your observations, about similar or different topics.
The reply should be thoughtful and purposeful, rather than simply agreeing/disagreeing; as well, avoid repeating points (read everyone’s comments!) like specific references—recognizing that certain key points recur in this first section (and throughout novel).
*reminder: bonus participation credit for additional response (replying to 2 classmates)
Remember, this first discussion requires only brief & informal comment and reply, demonstrating that you’ve begun reading and thinking about the novel as a means to further examine (and from another angle) our key topics.
» Protip: as mentioned in introductory video, the novel is fiction and satire—not sociological writing or criticism/scholarship.
We can “take it seriously” within the world of the novel (fictional setting, characters, action); but, try discussing the implications/effects, as a “thought experiment,” rather than criticizing/arguing (or “interpreting”) fictional elements like characters or dialogue.
(in other words: avoid treating aspects of the storyworld, especially characters, as though they are real. We’re taking a detour through absurd satire to later examine technology + digital culture + mediated experience concerns…)
→ For example, discussing more so how characters communicate (with each other) rather than what is said/done; similarly, how the novelist (Shteyngart) uses the characters (Lenny and Eunice) to narrate chapters (conveying information to us readers) in distinct modes of writing (which becomes evident after just the first 2 chapters)…
In chapters 2 and 4 when Eunice Park is talking to her mom and sister Sally it is very clear that she is in another world so to speak. Her mother would like her to marry a Korean man and go to law school to make something of herself but I do not think Eunice really cares about all that. She seems more interested in partying and hanging out with friends, trying out different guys.
In chapter 2 I like when Eunice’s mom says “Enjoy rome, you make a good student at Elderbird, you deserve. But now your life just begin. Do not make anymore mistake!”.
It is clear that Eunice and her actions are known about to her mom and the rest of her family. Not all good
I couldn’t post my screenshot of the text within this comment, so I ended up posting it to my blog.
Go to: https://whatintheblogisthis.wordpress.com/2015/11/04/114-hybrid-class-comment-on-sstls/
Here is the text from my response just so you can tell I did the assignment, you really should look at the screenshot on my blog though to fully understand the context..
In relation to class concepts, a big factor in this book is the base of affects that technology has on the now even more enormous future world user population (advanced media ecology). My chosen excerpt points out two distinct ideas (as Lenny sits in a public setting where use of his device is required for social participation and situational success): a.) The popular culture of this future time further emphasizes fluency in technological script/code, which suggests that the advance of digital interfaces in our culture may pose the need for understanding a second language in relating the dialect of fully ingrained technologies and b.) In the dialogue going on between Lenny and the anonymous female helping him, she asks what the smart-technology was asking of Lenny, inferring that the device/technology has its own means of operating that are separate to Lenny’s intentions as its user, suggesting the obvious notion of existing A.I. but also going as far as to assign a male gender pronoun to the technology and a “seat amongst the living” so to speak.
One thing that stuck out at me when reading was the importance of technology in Lenny’s society. It seems as though everyone but Lenny uses technology at all times of the day. One example of this was when Lenny was on the airplane and people judged him for reading a book, instead of reading off of his device. I couldn’t figure out how to put a screencast in here, so here is the quote I found. “I quickly sealed the Chekhov in my carry-on, stowing it far in the overhead bin. As the passengers returned to their flickering displays, I took out my apparat and began to thump it loudly with my finger to show how much I loved all things digital, while sneaking nervous glances at the throbbing cavern around me, the wine-dulled business travelers lost to their own electronic lives.”
I really like the theme of people getting lost in technology and caught up with their electronic lives. There’s a BBC show called “Black Mirror” that’s an anthology series of “speculative fiction with dark and sometimes satirical themes that examine modern society, particularly with regard to the unanticipated consequences of new technologies” (Wikipedia). It’s a fantastic show and I highly recommend it — just be sure to skip over the first episode because it’s horrible. I think it’s important to acknowledge that technology has the capacity to bring communities together (i.e. open affinity spaces that encourage fan participatory culture), but it also has consequences for human behavior and societal norms.
I was just watching that show last night and thought the same thing. The tone of the book and how Lenny describes the world around him reminded me of the episode I watched multiple times, a semi-dystopian future that was incredibly reliant on technology.
I think both that show and the book (so far) is a social commentary on how much we rely on technology today. Both cases show much more extreme versions of this but the parallels between those worlds and ours are obvious. While they are fictional worlds and stories they mirror ours. They are trying to demonstrate how technology is taking away from our humanity.
been thinking we could watch an ep — maybe #3? — in class one day…
I think episode 2 of season 1 would also be great! It’s critique of consumerism parallels the novel’s themes of materialism and mass technology.
“Noah aimed his apparat’s camera nozzle at me, marking me as the subject for his evening news segment” (pg. 84) This quote shows that technology is used everywhere in Lenny’s society. It never ends.
While reading Super Sad True Love Story, the very first section of the first chapter “Do Not Go Gentle” struck me. I’m not working on a Mac, and I have no idea how to do a screenshot on a Toshiba so here we go:
“Dearest Diary,
Today I’ve made a major decision: I am never going to die. Others will die around me. They will be nullified. Nothing of their personality will remain. The light switch will be turned off. Their lives, their entirety, will be marked by glossy marble headstones bearing false summations… and then these too will be lost in a coastal flood or get hacked to pieces by some genetically modified future-turkey…
But wait. There’s more, isn’t there? There’s our legacy.”
This excerpt reminded me of our first project and working with the concept of digital identity. There was a video I originally watched on BuzzFeed that talked about our online life after death and digital legacy, and I posted it on my blog here: https://samc0787.wordpress.com/digital-identity-through-snapchat/a-filtered-performance/
For some reason when I was reading that same passage you posted I was thinking that he was having an “existential crisis” –trying to find meaning in life or purpose. Figuring out digital identity is like a modern version of getting through an existential crisis.
I think looking at this through a kind of modern existential crisis is really interesting. We all struggle with the actual thought of death, and what will become of our history/time on earth. What it means that we experience life the way we do, and whether one’s reality is similar to another’s. I think this quote captures those thoughts, and questions perfectly, and possibly show that life is what you make of it.
That entire passage made me think about what someone’s identity truly is. I mentioned in my statement that the interpretation of personal identity is completely based upon the person asking the question. Is our genetic makeup what makes us who we are or how we portray ourselves the main concern for identity? It seemed to me like they finally decided on how to interpret their identity; as in they finally found out how to identify themselves, tangible or not.
I have noticed in the journal entries the writing or “digital identity” is seen. They are writing exactly how they are thinking and feeling. They do this by using bold text and slang to get their emotions across. In the first entry in June 1st this is seen very prominently. I have the book on a kindle on my laptop so I don’t know how to screenshot. “So adorable. He kind of looked a little like Gopher but much thinner (ha ha ha). His name is Ben, which is pretty gay, but he was SO NICE and so smart.”
Shteyngart, Gary (2010−07−21). Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel (p. 27). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
oh wow it did an automatic citation
So far, Lenny’s tone/voice seems really judgmental towards others (with perhaps the exception of Eunice) and his language is extremely crude and sexually explicit at times, which speakers lengths about the character’s personality.
It’s an interesting idea behind how tone and language are evolving with technology. This is a big theme in this book — how language is changing and technology allows us to make it more casual, short, abbreviated, or create these slang acronyms that become essentially universal as they are spread. If you text someone “lol” they will know what it is if they participate in technology as a culture form. With social media, the comparison of Teenbook in the text, we connect on virtual platforms and create these common languages that those who participate on the platform understand and also create. We shape our identities through our understanding of language and this connects to your idea and a large idea that the author is trying to touch upon as well.
That’s exactly what I was thinking, but Alex beat me to it. The tone of informality really gives the story a more modern feel and helps to establish to emotion and context of the first section of the novel.
“P.P.S. I thought you were pretty cute on your friend Noah’s stream but you should really try to get off “101 People We Need to Feel Sorry For.” That guy with the SUK DIK overalls is just being cruel to you. You are not a “greasy old schlub,” whatever that means, Lenny. You should stand up for yourself.”
This quote caught my attention because it shows in a playful way that Lenny has communication or self confidence issues, assuming that he would rather read then be social but also the topic is asking for him to get judged. And when she says “get off” it bring up the question of what type of device is he reading that on, a book, or online, or on a blog even?
I thought it was interesting how everyone seems to cling to their youth, mostly because in this society youth is equal to attractiveness. However, to me the extend they go through to do so seem very ridiculous and even a little embarrassing, for example Leonard seems to look up to Joshie who has been through what seems a lot of rejuvenating and who uses words like “Homies” towards people that work for him. “His office was packed with a dozen young staffers I hadn’t seen before, all chatting at once. “Homies,” he said to his acolytes, “can I get a minute here? We’ll get right back into it. Just one moment.” Collective sigh. They trooped past me, surprised, agitated, bemused, their äppäräti already projecting data about me, perhaps telling them how little I meant, my thirty-nine-year-old obsolescence.”
I also thought that it was interesting how Lenny talked in this language and I think that the author, Gary Shtenygart wanted to use this language as a way to poke fun at youth culture. Also, Lenny probably uses his explicit language and behavior as a way to compensate for the fact that he doesn’t have as many friends or connections besides Eunice.
What you wrote here is highly relatable to one of Lenny’s monologues stating:
“My hair would continue to gray, and then one day, it would fall out entirely, and then, on a day meaninglessly close to the present one, meaninglessly like the present one, I would disappear from the earth. And all these emotions, all these yearnings, all these data, if that helps to clinch the enormity of what I’m talking about, would be gone. And that’s what immortality means. It means selfishness. My generations belief that each one of us matters more than you or anyone else would think.”
Youth, or at least the physical aspect of it, is of utmost regard in this novel. They believe to have no value if they are without it. People seem to go through an internal crisis as they age, and go through just as much of one to prevent this aging from taking place. It’s interesting to think which matters more to those in the universe of this novel, technology or youthfulness.
I agree, its definitely interesting to think about how the crisis people go through when they realize they are aging is also a part of ours own culture, maybe not to the extent as in the novel, but it is present in Western society. Whether this is a symptom or a cause of our World Wide Connectivity is of little relevance when thinking about the problems it causes.
Although the events in this novel are fictitious, I think the idea of staying youthful parallels our society. Lenny’s work involves keeping people “youthful” and I think the measures people in our society go through to look youthful on the outside are insane. I liked how the author included a lot acronyms, because people are always trying to stay current and fit in with younger generations.
After starting this novel I was reminded about topics from the beginning of the semester, especially ideas about writing diaries. Because Lenny likes to jot down his thoughts into a diary it correlates to modern day digital identity. By always having our online movements archived through social media websites or other online reservoirs, we never lose track of what we say. In a way the whole internet is a diary for everyone who logs on and posts something. In Super Sad True Love Story, it is evident that Lenny is behind the bag wagon when it comes to technology/digital identity and creating an “online diary” instead of his physical notebook diary. In chapter 1, page 23, I really liked the quote “develop a sense of nostalgia for something, or you’ll never figure out what’s important.” I think this could go along with the ideas about having a physical diary vs. an online one. We have to have nostalgia for what used to be instead of focusing only on the present and future. Through these ideas we can transition in moving forward with our digital world focusing on what is most important, the content that we are producing in the first place.
I was also struck by the characters inability to be present in the moment. Lenny is always worrying about the future (finances, his age, his job, politics) or about people that aren’t really present in his life (Eunice, his parents). While Eunice tends to want to be in the places she is not, when she is in Rome she wants to be in New York, when she’s with Ben she wants to be with Lenny. I think this is all a consequence of being constantly connected to every single person in the planet, as they can’t really focus on what they are doing or who they are with.
Nostalgia is an important theme in many different books and real life experiences. Nostalgia allows us to remember and reminisce on previous events. By creating our online digital identities, we have the capabilities to document everything we do, especially over time. Facebook nowadays has daily reminders of photos, events we went to, posts we or our friends did on our timelines, for that day every year since we’ve had it. For me, when I review my Timehop or Facebook flashbacks, it often pushes me to reach out and act on that feeling of nostalgia that is affected by the “memory.” By creating our digital identity, we unconsciously archive our digital history — speaking to your reference of the diary Lenny keeps. In a way we have an emergent form of a diary without really acknowledging it. We use social media to speak our thoughts, record our life events, and post photos of ourselves at that time. They get archived and become a part of our digital history and identity. This is a very interesting concept (digital history) to me and will keep it in mind for further discussion. Especially when this history or moment would not have been remembered if it wasn’t for the digital platform.
Good point about the “nostalgia” part throughout this reading. He seems to do that quite often throughout, along with referring back to his diary as if it were a common social media platform back then. You’re exactly right when you say that these days we use Facebook and other social media platforms as our “diary” and it seems like this kind of self-representation will always be around, just comes in different forms at different times.
I think its interesting how he uses a physical diary instead of an online platform especially when Eunice, the love of his life uses an online dairy. Facebook represents digital identity probably better than any online platform just because its all in one place 100% archival, unlike the traditional diary and photo book Lenny uses.
A quote from later on in the book that correlates with my first quote in chapter 1, is Lenny’s June 18th diary entry. He proclaims “Dear Diary, oh my God, Oh My God! She’s here. Eunice Park is in New York,” this kind of writing reminds me of how someone would start a tweet or caption a Snapchat instead of writing in a diary. This again highlights the fact that Lenny is more outdated and old school than society.
The ingroup and outgroups (HNWIs and LNWIs, respectively) are very clearly depicted in this novel. Whereas one relies heavily on their digital identities to convey their personal information, communicate with, and judge each other, their online reputation precedes members of this group (HNWIs) in the form of hotness ratings etc., and the other being the “old school” or traditional group who care significantly less for online identity, communication between these groups is frowned upon of by the public. The main protagonist, Lenny, writes in diary form and seems to be caught between these two groups, he clings to the old ways (using books, etc.) but has the desire to live forever though being faced with his own mortality in the form of his balding hair and age. His love, the much younger Eunice, contributes through e-mail correspondence and is more seated in the HNWI community, someone who cares for hotness ratings and such. The novel conveys a satirical view of a world in which the government promotes and mediates a consumer based community that relies on vanity and technology to stay relevant. And those who do not rely on these things, fade into obscurity.
““Then I celebrated my Wall of Books. I counted the volumes on my twenty-foot-long modernist bookshelf to make sure none had been misplaced or used as kindling by my subtenant. “You’re my sacred ones,” I told the books. “No one but me still cares about you. But I’m going to keep you with me forever. And one day I’ll make you important again.” I thought about that terrible calumny of the new generation: that books smell.” ”
I decided to pull off the idea of LNWI and HNWI — compare to my Wikia discussion on Digital Natives and Immigrants. It seems this book is going to focus on the clash of the two with Lenny and Eunice. Lenny is a Digital Immigrant, coming from a generation that didn’t have such as high upbringing with technology integrated versus Eunice who is a Digital Native with a more technological integrated upbringing. We see these two people merge with their relationship and it creates a mixed identity and the process of understanding and coexisting digital identities. Lenny doesn’t want to “die” (based off the first sentence of the book in his major decision “I am never going to die”) and I feel like this can be taken as a physical death, but also death to his identity and understanding of the world around him. With all the increase in technology he faces on a daily basis, his identity and perspective on the world and how it works is also dying, its becoming outdated. From the moment on the plane being the only one with a book, to his reflection on his wall of books, to his need to stick to a written diary, he’s forced to confront one of his biggest fears and maybe his relationship with Eunice is his attempt to integrate technological understandings to identity.
We absolutely see two individuals uniquely merge in their relationship and create a mixed identity through their almost stricly technological processes of understanding and coexisting with their identities. Understated in relation to this idea is the giant age gap between Lenny and Eunice and how that fact is being mediated by their ingrained use and deep understanding of technology, which brings them closer in a similar way to that certain ideals or artifacts bring together different aged individuals in our era/culture.
I think the passage where our narrator has to talk to a digital otter is a pretty fun mediated experience. The narrator is giving what seems to be our over paranoid government insights into the reasons Americans go abroad , and what there experience is like. The otter is just a nice way to distract the person from the reality of the situation.
“The otter stood up on his hind legs, and made a show of dusting himself off. ‘Hi there pa’dner!’ he said, his electronic voice dripping with adorable carnivalesque. “My name is Jefferey Otter and I bet we’re going to be friends!”
Later in the same passage the otter says “Remember I’m here to help you” The otter goes on to ask about Larry’s experiences while he was abroad. Even asking about very personal questions such as credit score, and sexual partners until the device freezes, and our narrator goes to ask for help.
Don’t know how, but meant Lenny not Larry. Feel a bit dumb, but please just overlook my stupidity.
I agree I think the use of technology in this situation is more of a distraction than anything else. This could also say something about technology for us. I think sometimes social media is just a distraction from our own lives.
Super Sad True Love Story: The Novel
Page 78:
“That’s right: I am never going to die, caro diario. Never, never, never, never. And you can go to hell for doubting me.”
• It’s funny how he refers back to his diary multiple times and by multiple names. It shows us he’s now overseas writing and is jokingly incorporating their language into his own, in a good way though. The fact that he is writing to his diary shows the time frame/era he was in too and how technology, like Abramov said, was “almost here” (page 66) to save him
I think Lenny is fed up with technology and the “apparat” and he sees how its altering this dystopia that he is in. Diaries are generally something that is handwritten and more intimate to the writer. So I think the fact that the diary is present in this novel and he refers back to it a number of times is showing the difference between the intimacy of the old fashioned style of displaying emotion (diary entries) and the present world he is in that is overrun with technology and instant messaging. Lenny values the old fashioned and seeks that emotion of something real and tangible like handwriting.
Concerning our general focus on technology and media ecology, there is undoubtedly a theme of the importance of technology in the novel. It is first seen when he goes to the American embassy and is prompted with a machine to screen him before returning to America. Then with through his interaction with Eunice, there is a comparison between generations and technologies, showing an increased usage of technology in the younger generations.
“‘So it says in my Time Out guide’ the impudent girl said to me. She lifted up her apparat-like device, and in shockingly perfect Italian ordered a taxi to come pick us up. I hadn’t felt so frightened since high school. Even death, my slender indefatigable nemesis, seemed lackluster when compared with the all-powerful Eunice Park”
I would have to agree with you. So far in the novel technology references seem to be popping up everywhere. Especially with Eunice and her lingo and her ease of using the technology that is around her. It is really evident the generation differences between Eunice and her mother and I guess Lenny too.
Right in the first chapter “Do Not Go Gentle”, the quote “I am never going to die” really caught my attention. The text itself was italicized, and that made me think of what it really means. My first question was whether he meant that in a physical sense or an intangible sense. Physical because of the passing down of genetics or intangible as his identity or who he was as a person; an idea. Was he going to pass on his DNA or was he going to be remembered to the end of time? That was what I was asking myself when I first came across the text. So all this is under the category of his identity. That idea itself is up to the interpretation of the person asking the question.
That’s and interesting perspective and I was wondering that myself as well. I’m wondering with the established digital era, will have anything to do with this idea of immortality, as someone’s digital presence will never expire.
I think that’s exactly what he is saying, Jamison. We will live on forever because of our digital footprint and trail left behind after our physical bodies are no longer “working”, or here. Technology gives us a chance to leave a lasting legacy, if you will — a permanent self and identity through media. Like you said “immortality”.
“Dear Diary, Oh my God, oh my God, Oh My God! She’s here. Eunice Park is in New York. Eunice Park is in my apartment! Eunice Park is sitting NEXT TO ME on my couch while I’m writing this.” This quote from the beginning of the chapter Total Surrender shows to me that his diary is literally a physical manifestation of his mind, almost word for word. It goes back to the idea of identity the diary is a little bit of the physical part and the ambiguous part of identity. Physical because you can hold it but ambiguous because it contains ideas and content that is intangible.
The recurring theme of the “apparat,” an electronic device, presumably a cell phone(?), I found to be quite interesting. It’s clear that Lenny is not fond of the apparat.
“Got up around eleven, caffe macchiato at the bar that has the best honey brioche, the neighbor’s ten-year-old anti-American kid screaming at me from his window, “No global, No way!,” warm cotton towel of guilt around my neck for not getting any last minute work done, my apparat buzzing with contacts, data, pictures, projections, maps, income, sound, fury” (Shteyngart 6).
Lenny is filled with fury with all of the chaos the apparat brings. In a world that seems to be dominated by technology, Lenny seeks something more intimate. This speaks a lot about the social conventions during this time in the society. It appears to be overwrought with technology and the society lacks any “real” emotion. Considering this was written during our present time period, I think Shteyngart is alluding to the fact that our culture is dominated by technology use and how the constant “buzzing” of data (social media, texts, etc.) is infuriating and is leading us down towards a black and white world where everyone lacks any real contact or emotion, like that of Lenny’s future dystopia.
It’s interesting to see the social conventions on display so far. Lenny’s interaction with the Otter at the US Embassy was very telling for both the world in the novel and the character of Lenny. Technology is so far ahead at this point that things like that are normal around the world, however to Lenny they still seem very strange. The Otter is a mock of our growing reliance on AI with things like Siri today. It’s made apparent early that Lenny is hanging onto his humanity over the overwhelming presence of technology as much as he can. (This is repeated throughout the next few chapters with examples that others have pointed out, such as him reading an actual book instead of on some sort of tablet)
As I said in a reply, it reminded me a lot of an episode of a show called “Black Mirror” that I watched for the first time just last night, about a future where society is ruled by technology and everybody lives indoors underground. The main character in that episode reminded me a lot of Lenny, clinging onto the little bit of “realness” that was left, which wasn’t much.
I like what you said at the end — “clinging onto the little bit of realness that was left, which wasn’t much”. I totally agree. Some of the things produced via technology aren’t real, they are made up. So where do you find the realness? Lenny is totally grasping and hanging on to what is left, and tangible — like the book example you gave. He is struggling with his identity as the world changes into a technological being around him.
I think your analysis is very insightful. I agree with your characterization of the author as one who is trying to defy the overwhelming influence of artificial intelligence, however I also feel as though he is not completely running away from the reality of its presence. I feel as though the author is communicating an internal struggle in which he tries to find a balance that allows for him to embrace the world around him while also staying in touch with his humanity.
https://i.gyazo.com/745f98351991138c53039e00ad011356.png
This quote represents how Lenny is growing in a voluntary way. He is trying to connect more with Youth Culture and technology because of his attraction to Eunice, and this is one example of said attempts. You can still tell (through both points of view) that he is still clinging onto his view of the world that doesn’t rely so much on technology, and it is because of Eunice’s youth that he is trying to adapt to this world of abundant technology.
This is my quote/analysis from Chapter 11, from the beginning of class on Friday.
“Reading is difficult. People just aren’t meant to read anymore. We’re in a post-literate age. You know, a visual age. How many years after the fall of Rome did it take for a Dante to appear? Many, many years.” (p. 277)
I love this quote from the book, Super Sad True Love Story. I completely agree with him. Everyone is looking for a short cut and reading isn’t enjoyed for readings sake anymore. Through visual aids and supplements like memes, gifs or music videos, we learn the content — not by reading. Our instant-gratification society want the condensed, easy version of material — not to take the time to read like he mentions about Dante. Reading takes time, concentration, and the right environment. Our society doesn’t want to take the time for that. We may resort to audio books or shortened versions, like ClifNotes, that are fast and simple.
I completely agree, I think that this is completely representative of our society. We are so image driven that it is no longer common to learn or get news by reading a book from front to back, but rather, by searching multiple snipets of information on the Internet that gives us an overall analysis. Which in part relates to our Wikias. Nobody would go to just one of our pages to learn everything they need to know about a given topic.
I cant do a screen cast because I have the actual paperback book. But here’s a quote:
“It’s 1984, baby. Not that you would get the reference. Maybe our bookish friend Lenny here could enlighten us.”
Lenny has a very interesting digital identity while he writes in a diary and can not get over the concept of youth. I think it’s interesting to read about a digital identity that is different from our own, yet the same. I’m not sure if anyone uses a diary in 2015, the the concept of a diary is present in our every day lives, through different technological platforms, like Facebook, where we can write about what going on from day to day, then look back at all of it whenever we please.
What initially struck me was how Lenny immediately decided to look thoroughly into Eunice’s financial background as well as her families. It was a bit creepy to me at first. Then I remembered people do things like that all the time now. Stalking on social media is more than just accepted, it’s a norm. It was interesting to me though that Lenny, who seems to represent traditional and old habits (such as keeping a diary), was participating in such a tech savvy form of research. Eunice says he is “nerdy” and calls him “Grandpa” but this doesn’t seem to be the act of a Grandpa. Lenny seems to have an obsession with youth and is convinced he will never die. It seems to me that he is going through a midlife crisis.
“Remember this… develop a sense of nostalgia for something, or you’ll never figure out what’s important.”
While reading the novel “Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel” I felt one of the most prominent key concepts that stood out involved the idea of digital identity. The author, Gary Shteyngart, introduces the novel but questioning the idea of legacy in terms of identity and how our understanding of making a lasting impression on society has changed over time. Contemporary society has expanded our means of leaving a “legacy” through modern technological capabilities of recording and storing your life’s journey that allows us to utilize and manipulate the cultural practices of our time to shape the impact we leave on our world.
“But wait. There’s more, isn’t there? There’s our legacy. We don’t die because our progeny lives on! The ritual passing of the DNA, Mama’s corkscrew curls, his granddaddy’s lower lip, ah buh-lieve thuh chil’ren ah our future. I’m quoting here from “The Greatest Love of All,” by 1980s pop diva Whitney Houston, track nine of her eponymous first LP. Utter nonsense. The children are our future only in the most narrow, transitive sense. They are our future until they too perish. The song’s next line, “Teach them well and let them lead the way,” encourages an adult’s relinquishing of selfhood in favor of future generations.my kids,” for example, is tantamount to admitting that one will be dead shortly and that one’s life, for all practical purposes, is already over. “I’m gradually dying for my kids” would be more accurate. But what ah our chil’ren? Lovely and fresh in their youth; blind to mortality; rolling around, Eunice Park– like, in the tall grass with their alabaster legs; fawns, sweet fawns, all of them, gleaming in their dreamy plasticity, at one with the outwardly simple nature of their world. And then, a brief almost-century later: drooling on some poor Mexican nursemaid in an Arizona hospice.”
Shteyngart, Gary (2010−07−21). Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel (pp. 3–4). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
For whatever reason it won’t let me post my screenshots so I just quoted my passage of discussion.