Occupy Siberia (dislike club prequel)
Yours truly is recuperating from 2014 in France but wishing you a happy holiday. Hope you enjoyed the programming this year. The dislike club series pretty much contains everything I have ever wanted to say about social media. Been thinking about all this stuff for quite some time now, but it all started to crystalize when I got invited to Russia three years ago. I made a show about that trip for my old radio program “too much information” (it used to run on WFMU). I updated it a bit and offer it here, as the ToE 2014 holiday special – or the dislike club prequel.
10 comments on Occupy Siberia (dislike club prequel)
I would like to echo the sentiment of other commenters on this site. I am after all the audience. I thoroughly enjoyed this entire mini series of the dislike club. You accentuate several concepts that are on the mind of the internet community at large right now; the disaffection felt by unmet promises of wealth, connectedness, social awareness and cultural change that were proclaimed by what now seem like the fallen internet prophets of old; and the realization that we may be putting an undue amount of energy and time into what seems to be amounting to a technological “shiny” that is giving far less in return.
I am somewhat disappointed that in your conclusion you stated that you haven’t yet received any interest in the dislike.club as an actual social or internet concept. However to me this stands almost in stark contrast to the soundbites that presented the backdrop to your entire proportion of the show, what sounded much like an AA meeting for people who decline to participate in the majority of the social media scene. To me, that face to face meeting is the dislike.club, and I only wish there were a group like that in my area to attend.
To me the only point of contention I had with the entire mini series was the focus on the non existent dislike button that some claim should be on facebook or other social media outlets. I find it ironic that you didn’t mention, nor do most people realize, there is a dislike button (after a manner of speaking). It is a bit difficult to realize the dislike button for what it is, because it is the ultimate dislike button and you need only press it once, because it is labeled “remove my account.” it is a button, that I, myself, in protest of the vapid interactions, the simplified and meaningless compression of social expression into a “like” button, and the un-checked cruelty that acquaintances would hurl at one another (and occasionally at me) for the crime of simply holding a differing opinion, in protest of all this, I pressed the “dislike” button and for years have never looked back.
So for what it’s worth Benjamin, if you are considering making a true dislike.club. I, the audience, am interested (you know, so long as you don’t go the way of ello…)
Hey, I’m a huge fan, and I’ve tried to get in touch a bunch of times, but this email form never works. But ‘ll try once again… I’m trying to check out dislike.club, but it always brings me back here to toe. Is there some other (non-social media!!) way to get in contact?
To Benjamen Walker,
Thank you for this contribution. My boyfriend and I now shout “Lemoniski!!!” to each other which makes me truly happy.
Ariel
Thank you for the Liberation! Dislike.Club is the best.
The segment that begins at 49:55 is amazing. Is there a transcript? Where does it come from? It speaks to some great secret logic perfectly described here.
What is the music looping in the background? I’m addicted to this podcast….
Hi Benjamen!
Thanks for another great episode!
One question though: could you write the name of the Russian town you went to? Your pronunciation is not as good as your podcast. 😀
Hi Ben, you are an inspiration. Also, very entertaining!
Thank you