oh the dangers of living in public…
josh harris was the ‘star’ of this documentary, shot by ondi. we see him as a playboy who started psuedo, as a puppeteer who convinced people to live in a hotel with non-stop big brother filming, as a boyfriend who became a part of his own experiment ‘we live in public’, as an apple farmer, ‘unconnected’ as a bball coach in enthiopia, and finally, on stage, as a cigar-sucking man who seemed a bit defeated. we never see him as a balanced guy- he is always throwing himself 100% into this or that - all or nothing type of attitude.
and i think this extreme attitude accounts for both his successes and failures.
the movie showed us the harm of living this publicly - the lack of privacy results in the lack of intimate relations, etc. but - it is based on extremes. if you are able to find a balance in seeking joy in the number of your twitter followers AND seeking joy in real life relationships… if you are able to put down your blackberry/iphone and step away for face-to-face conversations… you have a lot less to worry about.
and finally- i think a lot of this is about awareness. i’m OK with google skimming through my email and giving me relevant ads. i like pandora judging my music interests to provide me with suggestions for new artists. but at the same time, i’m very aware of what i put online and how i represent myself and those i care about in this so-very permanent space.
definitely give the movie a watch :) : we live in public
e-mail ondi@weliveinpublicthemovie.com for updates on the movie tour!
