I Am the Media

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I Am the Media
Directed byBenjamin Rassat
Distributed byArte
Release date
  • April 21, 2010 (2010-04-21)
Running time
58 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench

I Am the Media is a 2010 French documentary film by Benjamin Rassat [fr].[1][2][3]

Background[edit]

Shot in 15 countries, Benjamin Rassat interviewed people such as Vinton Cerf, Steve Jobs, Justin Kan, Robert Scoble, Andrew Keen, Loic Le Meur and Magibon, discussing the history of digital narcissism and social networks.[2] Interviewees were asked: "Did you google me?" and "Do you google yourself?".[2]

Censored for two years in France, the movie first aired on 21 April 2010, on Arte; a directors' cut can be seen on Iamthemedia.tv.[1][4] The film was released in Germany as Von Bloggern und Internet-Freaks.[5]

Reception[edit]

Les Inrockuptibles in its review of the film, wrote: "Critical, without being manichean, Benjamin Rassat uses self-centered and self-deprecating humor to analyze the explosion of ego on the net)," and "Benjamin Rassat illustrates his point by his own narcissism. He stages outrageous self-interviews, presenting different sequences with especially distilled false information, deliberately and discreetly."

In its analysis and review, nonfiction.fr wrote: "Benjamin Rassat poses an ironic contemporary society, focusing on three fundamental aspects: the power of media, the "narcissistic temptation" renewed by the computer age, and the staging of multiple identities seeking to assert their existence in the insubstantial fabric of the net in a time of disillusionment and loneliness".[3]

I Am the Media received mixed reactions when previewed by an audience of professionals; some thought Rassat was ridiculing them.[4]

On the website Iamthemedia.tv and on the personal mail of the director, Vinton Cerf, one of the fathers of the Internet, let this message : "Just watched it - powerful! thought-provoking. I didn't go back to check - who is the guy on the boat - he's extraordinarily articulate and insightful"

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Charles Dufresne, Mélissa Bounoua (May 31, 2010). "Je clique de me voir si beau dans la grande blogosphère". 20 Minuten (in French). 20minutes.fr. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  2. ^ a b c Charles Dufresne, Mélissa Bounoua (May 28, 2010). "Les internautes sont-ils des narcissiques?". 20 Minuten. 20minutes.fr. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  3. ^ a b "XXIe siècle : l'ère du Narcisse numérique" (in French). nonfiction.fr. July 21, 2010. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  4. ^ a b ""I am the Media" ou l'ultra-narcissisme sur Internet". Les Inrockuptibles (in French). lesinrocks.com. May 28, 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  5. ^ "ARTE: Von Bloggern und Internet-Freaks". NetzPolitik. netzpolitik.org. April 22, 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2010.

External links[edit]