Live-tweeting

The practice of live tweeting was fairly new to me so I was excited to get started and try it out! Live tweeting is sending a series of tweets during any particular event where you are a host or participant. For BCM325, each week we are live tweeting a particular sci-fi movie as participants and get to engage with others in the subject whilst doing background research and relating the movie to the subjects themes and materials – it is fairly full on!

My approach is to watch the movie for the first time during the screening in order to exercise the skill of analysing a text live, without any context. Whilst the opening scenes are happening, I undertake some background research of the text and find myself immersed in people’s opinions which makes me think about the text from different viewpoints.

Week 1

Screening – 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kurbrick, 1968)

Topic – Imagination & Science Fiction

Tweets & Interactions –

The ape using his imagination pretending that stack of bones is real. Spengler argues imagination is fundamental to making new connections and seeing new relations – what's next? #BCM325

— chelsea wood (@woodoro2) March 2, 2022

"HAL represents a common fear of artificial intelligence, in that man-made technology will eventually turn on its creators after gaining enough knowledge and consciousness" #BCM325 https://t.co/Xe0yrbTNeo

— chelsea wood (@woodoro2) March 2, 2022

My first week live tweeting, I was very vague with my engagement with my peers, often just agreeing with their points as I wasn’t sure how to contribute further.

Week 2

Screening – West World (1978)

Topic – Future Studies: Trajectories & Planning

in this case, not planning for a malfunction or loss of control over the robots was a case of bad planning. No power back-up to open the doors so they don't suffocate. Not actually knowing how the robots operate or to shut them down. BAD PLANNING #BCM325

— chelsea wood (@woodoro2) March 9, 2022

The future doesn’t always turn out as predicted #bcm325

— chelsea wood (@woodoro2) March 9, 2022

During the screening of West World, I was a little bit more engaged with the subject materials but was still hesitant on how to give valuable insight to my peers’ commentary.

Week 3

Screening – Blade Runner

Topic – Multiple Futures

Tweets & Interactions –

the machines are either a benefit or a hazard. thoughts? #bcm325

— chelsea wood (@woodoro2) March 16, 2022

the replicants using emotional manipulation for Sebastian to help them is different from what we've seen in previous movies. normally the 'robots' are emotionless and this is what the humans have over them #bcm325

— chelsea wood (@woodoro2) March 16, 2022

During the screening of The Blade Runner, I saw how a simple question gained traction with my peers and it was interesting insight that they all believed that the machine is a hazard and not a benefit. Why, in this technological age, would a bunch of digital media students live tweeting an event for a subject that is run completely online with an element of a digital artefact, believe that ‘machines’ are not a benefit to humans? The way the movie projects machines in a dystopian future distorts our views, even today, of how beneficial technology is. The fear of machines ‘taking over’ is still present today.

Week 4

Screening – Ghost in the Shell

Topic – Operations Research

Tweets & Interactions –

in this future Tokyo, we see how politicians, criminals and terrorists could use technology for their own dark purposes, and what might need to be done to prevent it #bcm325

— chelsea wood (@woodoro2) March 23, 2022

Major Kusanagi who’s the lone character often talks about feeling disconnected, even trapped by her body. By the story’s end, she’s embraced the singularity, and become an altogether different creature #bcm325

— chelsea wood (@woodoro2) March 23, 2022

During the Ghost in a Shell screening, I had an interesting discussion with Pia and Hannah about how politicians, terrorists and criminals use technology for ‘dark’ purposes. We discussed ‘big data‘ and how it is hypocritical for the ‘good side’ to say others use technology for ‘evil’, as they too are using technology for personal gain – which is portrayed through the movie in a similar way – where it is difficult to decipher good from evil as technology is at the forefront for personal gain on both sides.

Week 5

Screening – The Matrix 1999

Topic – Cyberculture: Cybernetics & Cyberpunk

Tweets & Interactions –

the inevitable is constantly challenged in the matrix – showing a number of possible futures #BCM325

— chelsea wood (@woodoro2) March 30, 2022

"ignorance is bliss" is it? or we just ignoring the inevitable possible futures that await us? #BCM325

— chelsea wood (@woodoro2) March 30, 2022

The screening of The Matrix was one of my favourite screenings, I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions I had with my peers where we discussed the inevitable and how this contradicts the notion of possible futures. I believed that The Matrix presented a number of different futures where the main character, Neo, was presented with options and it was up to them to choose the outcome and based on this choice, the inevitable was always challenged and changing. However upon reflection, it is difficult to ignore the stance that Chris put forward – there is only one inevitable future if you think the movie only has one ending and not multiple – which made me think even deeper about futures studies and I’m still thinking about that point days later. Cyberculture explores the systems that rule our everyday lives in society, The Matrix challenges these systems and enables you to think deeper into how these systems operate and rule us as a society.