Courtesy of WITNESS.org

When I saw the title of The February 2nd New Yorker blog post Does Egypt Need Twitter? , I looked to see if Hosni Mubarak wrote the post. After all, it was a case of dogma superceding the truth, and that was a signature Mubarak move during the 17 days that preceded his resignation. But in fact is wasn’t the famed dictator who was suspected of having been living in an alternate universe each time he came on Egyptian state TV to reaffirm his position; it was Malcolm Gladwell reaffirming his position on the role (or lack thereof) of social media in political movement, with an ever so slight pivot that well, reminded me of the now departed despot. I responded to his first New Yorker piece here last year.

Shall I belabor the despot point? Maybe not. Since the people of Egypt did it loud and clear for the world, I need not. But you get my drift. But I will quickly raise my placard in protest of social critics who, at great pains to remain right do the world a disfavor. It is an insult to the intelligence, collective power and passion of the revolutionaries of the world that Gladwell on his cushy New Yorker pedestal pontificates on what revolution is or is not. He says:

…the least interesting fact (….) is that some of the protesters may (or may not) have at one point or another employed some of the tools of the new media to communicate with one another. Please. People protested and brought down governments before Facebook was invented….People with a grievance will always find ways to communicate with each other. How they choose to do it is less interesting, in the end, than why they were driven to do it in the first place.

Ahem…interesting to whom? To Gladwell, and his feeble-minded supporters, none of whom has ever endured the repression and brutal conditions of a dictatorship? As someone who grew up without free speech or the freedoms Mr. Gladwell enjoyed in this country, I say “Please” right back to Gladwell. Please don’t belittle the apparatus that enabled a generation of young people to lead a revolution to topple a 30-year long dictatorship. Please stick to subjects that don’t involve truth and human pain and suffering as you are patently unqualified to tackle those subjects. Please enjoy yourself in the faculty dining room pontificating among those who allow ideas to trump truth. But, please, instead of decreeing what’s “interesting”, you might want to consider what matters. To me, and certainly to the Egyptians, that would be the truth.

The world of mega-influencers is no doubt an elite one, and Oprah is a phenomenon like no other – she is the gold standard for measurable influence. As her daytime show comes to an end I wondered if there could be, in the digital era, an influencer as powerful as Oprah. She is no doubt a one-of-a-kind, and her combination of empathy, support and self-improvement struck a cord with individuals who sought a powerful connective point in their increasingly isolated worlds.

Incidentally, over the weekend, as I led a discussion group for filmmakers about using social media to promote their films and build their audiences, it occurred to me that the spheres of online influence are quite different from those of the offline variety. So much so, that despite Oprah’s 4.5 million fans on Twitter, her rank on influence metrics site Klout is 65 (out of 100) and her “amplification” level, defined as “the likelihood that your content will be acted upon” is 0.

Clearly, this does not reflect the true measure of her power. If Oprah says jump, the reverberations are felt throughout the mediasphere- so the idea that she cannot motivate people to act based on her words is inaccurate in the offline world if somewhat true in the social media world. But it begs the question of who the mega-influencers will be when audiences are more diffused across media platforms. Personalities like Ashton Kutcher, whose real fame quotient is lower than an actor like Brad Pitt, wields enormous influence online, based solely upon his building his influence quotient as one of the first “celebrities” to embrace the influencer role in social media.

When I talk to artists and marketers about reaching influencers, I speak almost entirely in terms of niche. Niche has become the holy grail of the web marketing and social media game and it is enormously empowering. But what artist, author or guru wouldn’t want to have access to the online version of Oprah, and see the kind of enormous effect that her stamp of approval has on one’s life and career? The question is whether that kind of mega-influencer is even possible in our ever-fragmented digital world. But I look forward to that kind of phenomenon…and to seeing who will be the digital Oprah.

And every once in a while when there’s lots of time to play around, you can get really, really into making pretty melon-thingys with it. But then it sits there behind everything else in your drawer until…wait, I think I found a new use for it – I can use it to scoop the inside of a cupcake out to make a room for a filling!

I’ve written about how Twitter feels like entertainment to me sometimes, and have often used it as many do, for polling or advice, or just to keep up with the news of your business or friends. But as many have pointed out, it’s an evolving platform, the full potential of which will reveal itself in time.

Microblogging in and of itself is an interesting hybrid between the fully formed blog concept and the concise idea nugget that speak to our fast moving, mobile enabled times. There is no doubt that the evolution of microblogging has been courtesy of the mobile computing age. So what can we I do with this thing?

The entertainment possibilities grow everyday. With the success of @shitmydadsays (a recounting of foul-mouthed, misogynistic advice-giving 74 year old dad), CBS is taking the chance on another Twitter based show with @sshdonttellsteve, a chronicle by “Steve’s” roommate of his layabout, unemployed and frequently drunk roommate. And just last month, we find Ashton Kutcher developing a show called Dear Girls, based on @charliemcdonnell‘s eavesdroppings on a bunch of ditzy girls who live upstairs from him.

In a trend that leans mostly toward the satirical, these shows all have the quality of distancing oneself from the main characters and laughing AT them, in a very Twitter-esque “OH” kind of way. OH-the abbreviation for “overheard”- is a way Twitter users show their disapproval or scorn for certain kinds of social behavior. Usually, when someone is inappropriate, or oversharing in a public context, these quotes tell the rest of us that “those people” are to be the fodder for jokes. This clearly makes for very entertaining commentary. Which is why that strain of Twitter commentary is what makes it to Television.

But I wondered if we might not take the core function of satire into the edgier realms of social change or use it to address social consciousness. And sure enough, I was reminded of a feed I saw quoted in the early days of the BP oil spill, @BpGlobalPR. This fake PR feed tweets in a voice that sounds both cheery and honest about an oil company’s motivations and behind-the-scenes ammoral behavior.

Like all good satire, it is amusing because it unmasks the PR game that these large corporations play, and which we all know they play. For instance, here’s a recent tweet: “Chevron launched their “We Agree” campaign today, calling on oil companies to clean their messes. Jerks.http://ow.ly/2Vx7q ”  Clearly, accountability is at the heart of this satire, and they take the same “shame on you” game that we play with our foul-mouthed dads, drunken roommates and ditzy neighbors and bring it into corporate accountability.

Of course CBS will NEVER be interested in satire based on critical social or environmental issues, but that is why Twitter is a wonderful home to have if you happen to be gifted in that sort of voice. After watching The Inside Job this weekend, I thought: Where is the Twitter feed that satirizes greedy bankers. Hello? Any takers? This melonballer needs another use!

I do in fact use Twitter as an information network. Breaking news comes down the Twitter tree faster than on any conventional news outlet and I find myself hearing most information there first. Certainly, as a profit proposition, I can see why that positioning makes sense for Twitter’s business, thus the ad. But, I do wonder if in fact Twitter falls into some sort of interstice between information and entertainment–kind of like…well, cooking shows.

How much information/technique do I actually acquire by watching a very skilled chef demonstrate something I barely have the tools to attempt in my own kitchen? Flambe? Sous Vide? Whaaa? I get confused. But I sure love watching the magic come together in a kind of vague info-tainment sort of way.

Twitter is like that for me. I get a lot of searing hot news off the feeds when I zone in to see what’s happening…but what makes it fun isn’t just being in the virtual newsroom of the world. It’s the characters that inhabit it.

There are a handful of people I follow for no good reason at all – that is to say: we have absolutely nothing in common personally or professionally. Generally they are the over-sharing, lifecasting sort, and yikes, sorry to say this, but they are mostly women–who tweet everything from the quality of the cab ride to the annoyances of their bosses or the ladies room at work.

And why-oh-why do I care? I think it’s because it’s more interesting to watch my Twitter girls play out their life’s narrative in a very matter-of-fact way that I can catch whenever I feel like, and tune out when I can’t be bothered than it is for me to read US, or People or OK Magazine, and follow the less believable celebrity drama.

So that begs the question: what role is Twitter playing if it replaces the casual magazine for me? (I even find myself more interested in reading my Twitter feed at the hair salon than reading the usual mags) It may bill itself as “information” (as those mags do), but really, part of the Twitter experience feeds a taste for narrative, for a unique point of view from a character, which in my case are a handful of people with interesting voices that are constantly refreshing.

I don’t see Twitter being in the space that the WSJ or NYT occupy anytime soon. But damn, it might be time for a Twitter Drama iPad app that you can take to the salon with you.

JULIET: @julietcap16 You need to remember that he didn’t tell you the truth. Do you honestly WANT to be with someone who lies to you?

Ok, that exchange between Juliet and Nurse is probably not the Shakespeare verse you remember from your high school English class. It seems that this Juliet,(@julietcap16 on Twitter) has more in common with lonelygirl15 than she does with the classic 14th century heroine. (As we discover from her Facebook profile, she loves Taylor Swift and Twilight).

But the beauty of Shakespeare is that it never gets old, and the genius of the great author’s classic texts is watching them get reinvented over and over in various eras. So it should come as no surprise that Such Tweet Sorrow, a Twitter performance of Romeo and Juliet is having its moment. A British production performed (or tweeted) by the Royal Shakespeare Company with the help of cross-platform media shop, Mudlark , it is funded by Channel 4′s digital investment fund, 4iP.

A loose interpretation of the original text, this Romeo & Juliet began on April 10th and takes place in the span of five weeks and over 4,000 tweets. Now a few weeks and storylines in, you can follow all the characters tweets on a timeline that lives on the website, read a summary of what has happened so far, and check out the playlist for Juliet’s masked birthday party on Spotify and last.fm. which include, with some irony I imagine, Beyonce’s unforgettable Single Ladies whose lyrics demand a ring on the finger. And no less cheeky, the inclusion of MGMT’s Kids, no doubt a nod to the folly of youth, with its hypnotic refrain “control yourself.”

For Juliet’s party, she invited guests on their Facebook page to RSVP and send photos of their masks. 83 people responded and a handful participated in the mask challenge. It seems Juliet has the most active social media profile, including a Youtube page with 3 videos, where we get a glimpse into the Juliet’s feelings and interests, in the teenage girl bedroom (again another nod to lonelygirl15). The  most viewed of all three videos is the first, with 13,690 views at this writing, is perhaps the one that gives the most insight into Juliet. See below.

Based on the mainstream media’s response and coverage of the project, it appears to have made some sort of impact and certainly marks a notable moment in the expansion of theater performance into social media space. While I’m fascinated by the collaborative work this project is doing across theater, literature and social media, I have to say that this attempt falls into the caveman days of of interactive fiction. I have some quibbles with the actual design of the site (including the annoying inability to move through the timeline with ease), but most importantly  I’d have to critique the experience/story designers for not integrating the performance more into the social media space.

While Twitter in and of itself is an engagement platform, the lack of context (outside of clever pop culture references and lingo) seem to kill the “play”. I guess my expectations included a high level of interactivity and audience involvement. Put simply, why would I, as an audience member on Twitter, engage this drama outside of the novelty of seeing Shakespeare on Twitter? There’s no story hook for me, no compelling invitation to participate in the (vastly underdeveloped) world of the Capulets and the Montagues, and no reason for me to stick around…since I already know the ending. If the contemporary-ness is aimed at the teenage girls who know the dance routine to Single Ladies, then it certainly fails to engage them; if it is aimed (very slightly older!) ladies like myself, it seems perhaps over simplified and too full of silly teenage drama.

I know this is just the beginning and that experimentation will be going on for a while, so I hesitate to be overly critical. However, looking at this case really drove home for me the need for completely thought-through narratives and inventive engagement strategies, even dare I say, when you are working with the master of narrative himself, Shakespeare.

You can follow the characters: @romeo_mo, @julietcap16, @Tybalt_Cap, @Jess_nurse,@LaurenceFriar and @Mercuteio

I laughed my way through the episode – their bender night followed by waking up in Hank’s convertible on the beach with some freshly tatted backsides. Aah, yes. I know these guys. They are my friends and I miss them. Ok, I know what you’re thinking – is this fictional or real? Honestly, it doesn’t matter because on my tweed couch with the wool throw in December in New York, it was a nice fuzzy feeling. So imagine my excitement when I browse my Twitter feed and see that @Gennefer is talking to @RealHankMoody. I jump in and check out his feed. It’s crazy and unmistakeable how Hank Moody-esque this guy sounds. Tweets like:

Is there anything better than waking up after a night with a great woman, having a hot shower, and then hopping back into bed?

I’m hooked. I make a mention of him to someone else on Twitter and his ears much have started burning or something because all of sudden I get this tweet:

@filmfuturist well hello don’t think u can just mention my name without introducing yourself. U have pretty lips BTW. What’s ur story?

I swear I almost fall off the couch. At first I don’t know what to say because I know Hank is a player and I don’t want to fall for his sweet talk. So I decide to keep it neutral and ask him for some dating advice:

ME: @RealHankMoody I’m nerdy Hank. What does a girl need to do to find a smart dude?

HANK: @filmfuturist don’t *do* anything other than be yourself. You’re smarter than that. Plus, your a jewel – they will find you.

I’m not sure what to do next, so, I wimp out and hit “Follow” and become a Hank Moody follower so I can watch from the sidelines as he seduces women and talks of his conquests.

I finally work up the nerve to ask him if he’ll answer some questions for my blog and he’s charming, and gracious and utterly HANK MOODY. So here they are for your enjoyment.

How does it feel to be Hank Moody?

It feels fucking great at times.  But being a single dad is hard work.  I don’t think I do as admirable a job as I’d like, although Becca, my daughter,  does get fed and shelter is provided.  I do live a hard life, but I surround myself with women that care about me.  At least for a few hours at a time.  My strategy is to string them all together to form a 24/7 support structure.

Where did you learn your game?

My game? Are you referring to my writing? I wrote short stories and poems throughout school and really hit my stride in college. I read a lot too. Books and lately blogs, such as yours.  It keeps my mind active, my vocabulary current and my wit sharp.

I’m dying to know what the teenage Hank Moody was like – were you a stud then too?

Not really. I mean I was shy, but I always said what I thought, didn’t hold back, told it like it was.  I think that brutal honestly was seen by girls as something different to what they were experiencing at the time.  And different is attractive in many ways.

Seems like the only person who really scares you is Sue Collini. Is she ballsier than you?

Firstly, I’m not convinced that Sue is a woman.  So until the results of any tests come back to conclusively determine her sex, I’d like to not comment on the record about her balls.   In reality she’s a pussycat.  One of those that hisses a lot.

I swear I saw you once at a party in Bel Air – in the poolhouse, making it with a girl AND a guy – was that you?

I’m not ruling the possibility that is wasn’t me out. I’d like to think not. But a lot of crazy shit went down in Bel Air that I’m not too proud of.  Let’s just say that if I can’t remember and there is no photographic evidence, then it didn’t happen.

Most guys who play girls like you are called douchebags – why do you think that title doesn’t apply to you?

I’m very fond of women.  I care about them.  I genuinely desire not to hurt them.  I love their attention and desire their touch.  Their kiss awakens me.  I think about them, their hopes and dreams.  I talk to them.  All of them need attention.  All of them need to feel good.  All of them make me feel good.  Douchbags deliver a win/lose proposition to women.  My girls are treated well and respected. Win/Win.

I worry about your writing – when will you write again?

Yes. I’m in the middle of writing a new novel now.  A lot of my research is being done online via twitter (@RealHankMoody).  Its been a very tough road to overcome writers block.  Especially when I’m preoccupied trying to be the best father figure to Becca.  But I hope to have it completed by summer.

I despise your rap but I’m totally seduced by you – mind if I come over?

As long as you cook me breakfast in the morning.

In surveying the various projects out there, I found myself drawn to Twistori, which is an interesting take on this  trend. By limiting their tracking to only real time uses of the words LOVE, HATE, THINK, BELIEVE, FEEL and WISH, the project draws your attention to the verbs that create human emotion. Below, I have simply screen-grabbed whatever came through the feed in the 2-3 minutes span I was watching it scroll through.

The makers of this project acknowledge that their inspiration comes from another project called We Feel Fine which actually tracked emotions mined from all over the web in the form of text and image, and then organized them into a fascinating compilation and creative analysis of human feelings. It took me a while to wrap my head around what they were actually doing. I should say that the the authors of the project Jonathan Harris and Sep Kamvar, are together a combination of computational, creative and sociological whizkiddery. But don’t let that deter you from looking through this project, and apparently their soon-to-be-published book on the project. In their explanation of the project and its methodology they say:

Since August 2005, We Feel Fine has been harvesting human feelings from a large number of weblogs. Every few minutes, the system searches the world’s newly posted blog entries for occurrences of the phrases “I feel” and “I am feeling”. When it finds such a phrase, it records the full sentence, up to the period, and identifies the “feeling” expressed in that sentence (e.g. sad, happy, depressed, etc.). Because blogs are structured in largely standard ways, the age, gender, and geographical location of the author can often be extracted and saved along with the sentence, as can the local weather conditions at the time the sentence was written. All of this information is saved.

I surmised after reading through their material, that they are in fact going about storytelling in a quasi-scientific way – and I say “quasi” only because while data is real, what they are seeking to document is really the range of human emotion.  So while they do uncover patterns in people’s feelings/behavior, it never quite seems that the purpose of the project is purely statistical despite their use of all this computational skill and technology.

There are fascinating ideas in the individual words and images here and it begs the question, “where does science/technology meet art and storytelling”?

The conversation continues.

So here’s where I step back and ask: was the success of Paranormal an anomaly in the Blair Witch manner, or is it in fact the beginning of a wave? While I get that this film is probably scarier in a “real” way than say, Saw VI, that paragon of torture porn which it trounced at the box office, I have to wonder if the convergence of all these phenomena at the same moment spells more than just “great content”. There are a lot of “firsts” here: certainly the use of Eventful.com, which until now has been used primarily for live music events; there’s the suddenly powerful force of immediate social media like twitter and of course, there’s the sheer desperation of the studios to make a buck, any buck in the midst of a funding crisis akin to none other in recent Hollywood history.

Assuming that none of these factors are changing anytime soon – ie, access to social media, immediate audience responses (that can make or break opening weekends), and a cashflow issue not likely to be resolved so fast, will models like this soon become ubiquitous? It seems inevitable to me. I’ve always been dubious of Hollywood test screenings and the magic scores that determine whether a movie gets released or not, or if characters or endings should be changed. It seems that at a certain price-point (an din this case rather extremely low), these studio people should be delighted to have ways of gauging audiences interest in their films. It’s such a low-risk strategy that I wonder if Paranormal’s success will send a message to the powers that be.

But of course, the million dollar question remains unanswered: is this a marketing/distribution strategy that will work for a film without this sort of draw – the horror, the midnight screenings, the sheer “viral-ness” of it? And will there emerge other platforms, such as Eventful.com, which can perhaps draw different groups of people to an event they can feel they have participated in bringing to the rest of the public? Certainly, there are some indie film communities springing up around various audience engagement concepts. And I wonder how those will shake out in the months and year to come – since that is really how quickly I believe we will see vast transformation in the world of audience-content relationships.