While reading this article I was very surprised to learn that there were bloggers coming from the soldiers on the battle field. I think it is a unique opportunity for us to get a sense of what it's really like on the front lines abroad. With the mainstream media, you know you are only getting a segment of the truth, the segment they feel will get them the most ratings, and with the president glossing over all reports of the progress of the war, the American public finds it hard to really know what's going on. These blogs from the military are true accounts from people who are living and breathing this war and who know the real war, and I'm sure for the most part, these military bloggers have no hidden agenda. The public is much more likely to believe the accounts of the milbloggers, because it's like reading a friend's letter, there is a interpersonal connection that forms between the reader and the blogger, even if they have never met.
I find it fascinating that soldiers are finding the means and the time to be able to post daily comments of their experiences on the web. It's analogous to the letters from soldiers in the past, but now there is a much wider audience. This has both good and bad implications. As I mentioned before, these real accounts from soldiers are making their way across the nation, not just to close family and friends, but to anyone with an Internet connection. This can be a bad thing too, however, if sensitive data like revealing location of troops is included in the blogs, those that we are fighting against also have access to this information and can take advantage of it. It reminds me of when reporters were sending back live reports from the first Persian Gulf conflict. The enemy would also watch those broadcasts and gain valuable information of the whereabouts of our troops. Even if the data is revealed with good intentions (like to get better armor for the humvees), this can give the enemy information they can use to attack us smarter by knowing our weaknesses. Even though the soldiers are told not to give out locations or body counts, there is always the possiblity of the information accidentally slipping out. And once it's written, the world sees it instantaneously and even if it is removed at a later point in time, there has already been a large audience that has that information.
It will be interesting to see what the Pentagon will decide to do with these bloggers. I think that censorship is definitely a slippery slope. Once you start allowing censorship for sensitive data, the next step could be censoring dissenting opinions arguing that it would lower the morale of troops. Without being able to express real opinions, there wouldn't be much value to these blogs. Perhaps if there was a way to narrow the audience, with a secure portal or a similar technology, to limit the viewing of these blogs by our enemies. But then, you would be limiting the access of information to the general public and also international audiences, who may not necessarily be the enemy, but would benefit by viewing real accounts of the war. It's a very touchy subject, and I'm not sure there is just one true answer of how milblogs should be handled.
I went to Janet Cardiff's Her Long Black Hair audio walk in Central Park this weekend. I thought it was absolutely fantastic. The audio walk brings you into a new world within the park. You listen to the artist and she tells you where to walk and at different points, you look at pictures that were taken from the past, but from the same location where you are standing. The mixing of real life and tour were incredible. It was such a unique experience.
My parents visiting me this weekend and I thought they would also enjoy the exhibit. I was trying to describe what I knew about the exhibit to my parents and my mom's reaction was, "So what is there to look at? It's an art exhibit, right?" I thought it was particularly funny as I'm embarking on this journey into new media and art, how many people still have an old fashion view of what they consider "art": paintings and sculptures made of stone. I tried explaining the exhibit again, but finally just said "You'll understand when you're there".
My parents and I were starting the audio tour at the same time since we were one of the first ones there. I tried to start a little after they did to be able to melt into the world of what was being presented to me, but at the first point where we start to walk somewhere, they stopped their audio and waited for me to catch up. It added a new dimension to the exhibit though that was also interesting. For example, there is a point in the tour where you hear footsteps that sound like they are coming towards you from behind. Your instinct is to look back and see who's there, because it sounds like real footsteps approaching you. Then as soon as you look back, the artist tells you "Don't look back" and you feel guilty that you already have. It was interesting to see my parents have the same reaction as I did only a few seconds later.
One of the things I liked best about the exhibit was the blending of reality and the audio from the headsets. The sounds from the headsets were so crystal clear and had depth to them, that they sounded like they were coming from the environment around you. You follow along with the footsteps of the artist, and are experiencing the sounds that she had experienced, and because you are walking at the same pace, you experience what she was seeing also. Many times you would hear things and you weren't sure whether they are from the headsets or from your real environment. You would look up at the rocks, and you would hear children playing and you keep looking for them thinking they are just behind the big rock in front of you. There was a point in the tour where you were standing underneath the bell tower next to the Central Park zoo. While we were standing underneath, the clock tower started ringing, and the only reason I knew it was real was I saw a father and his son stopped to watch the dance of the tower as the hour struck.
I felt that Janet Cardiff did an excellent job of capturing the essence of Central Park through audio. From the snippets of conversations that you overhear from people walking by to the changing sounds of the footsteps across the terrain. There was a point when you hear the sounds of the skateboarders near the bandstand, and while they were not there at the moment, it made me recall back to a time when I had been there previously watching the skateboarders doing tricks.
Overall, the exhibit was great, and it helped open my eyes to the little nuances of the park, that you might not notice on your own. My mother also enjoyed the exhibit and understands a little more about the journey into new art forms.