Mystic Christian illustrator Owen Cyclops joins me to discuss internet ethnography and examine online culture. This is our longest episode yet, and also our deepest.
Topics Discussed In This Episode:
- [02:30] What internet ethnography means
- [07:04] How the culture of the internet became a real life
- [16:10] The internet’s social implications
- [32:04] Why institutions are losing people’s trust
- [37:15] Creating a story on social media
- [48:00] Consuming social media information
- [52:55] How the internet flattens power and social status
- [57:32] Origin of the internet memes
- [01:00:10] Lack of positive repercussions on the internet
- [01:01:49] Online anonymous honesty
- [01:05:50] How the previous internet felt more private
- [01:07:24] Taking responsibility on social media posts
- [01:10:37] The superiority of the internet forums
- [01:14:51] Catering for the internet audience
- [01:17:22] Threading on forums
- [01:25:45] The need for niche spaces on social media
- [01:28:11] Meeting with someone online
- [01:30:10] Social Media and vlogging
- [01:40:20] Using pseudo accounts vs real identity online
- [01:44:00] Separating your real life from online life
- [01:47:07] Why do people go insane online
- [01:54:18] Keeping a balance between your image and what you post online
- [01:59:13] Coming back to center and becoming yourself again
- [02:04:11] Creating character social media accounts
- [02:15:50] Why do people make up posts on the internet
- [02:17:52] Pranking vs. Scam
- [02:20:20] Distinguishing between what’s real and what’s fake online
- [02:28:10] Social media moderation
- [02:53:05] Simulacra and Simulation
- [03:03:55] Standard definition of Postmodernism
- [03:09:00] Metanarratives of the future
- [03:13:45] Accepting that we’re living in different realities
- [03:19:05] Constructing narratives through fiction
- [03:25:56] Being aware of one’s metanarrative about you
- [03:28:17] Challenging people’s metanarratives about others
- [03:33:49] Academics and science metanarratives
- [03:37:40] How humans are wired to view life
- [03:48:58] Connect with Owen Cyclops
Resources
- Owen Cyclop’s Website
- Owen Cyclops on Twitter / Instagram
- The Intactivist Guidebook by Brendon Marotta
- The Art Of Getting Over by Stephen Powers
- Ghosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology and Lost Futures by Mark Fisher
- Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of “Brainwashing” in China by Robert Jay Lifton
- Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard
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