Chris Brauer Media Project [BLOG]

There are few stories in the brief history of the WWW that better describe the sociological conflict embodied in humanity's interaction with modern media.

If you are not familiar with the story of Quebec teenager Ghyslain (it's like asking if you are familiar with the Internet), a brief synopsis will suffice as there are countless sites out there providing complete histories of his saga. In 2003 a video of him using a golf-ball-retriever as a light saber and making Jedi sounds was released on Kazaa by fellow students, apparently without his consent. Within five days this video was "remixed" to include special effects, sound and graphics. Here you can watch the original, and the remix (files are windows streaming media and windows player is required). Subsequently and with a little less originality he was remixed into Lord of the Rings, Braveheart, Kill Bill, Undercover Brother, the Matrix, and even somewhat unconvincingly in Canadian cult classic Strange Brew.

What kind of insight can we glean into the WWW society that with over 12 million people saving the original video Ghyslain is "the most downloaded man on the Internet" (Paris Hilton is the most downloaded woman)?

Well somewhat unsurprisingly it suggests that sex and geekdom are the two big sellers on the Internet. And while the former attracts widespread appeal in the population both on and off line, it is in the latter that the Internet has uniquely provided a vehicle for voice. For although these videos can be seen from bland to mildly amusing and even hilarious it is in the sociological interpretation that the popularity resides. Geeks are a rambunctious bunch at the moment, organizing their own dinner parties, punts, and parties and though some geeks have been self-identifying forever it has never been easier. The speed of change in technology and the benefits and methods of harnessing technical knowledge to promote a lifestyle of choice has made being a geek more desirable than ever.

Maybe that is why this community seems so determined to embrace Ghyslain as one of their own. A unscientific but nonetheless textual analysis of the comments on many of the major posts regarding the Star Wars Kid reveals traditional themes in this regard. Sixty-four per cent of the over 200 posts that are positive about Ghyslain make some reference or similar to how he is "one of us" or that "we were like you" and how cool it is that he has been "embraced" by the geek community.

The only problem is that there is precious little evidence that Ghyslain self-identifies as a geek or is pleased with the attentions of the community. In fact quite the opposite. The only two interviews available with him are a National Post email correspondence shortly after the video was released where he indicates that he "wants his life back" and a transcript of a telephone call that reads like an iPod advertisement with Jish Mukerji of the now defunct Jish.nu who along with Fark and Andy Baio of Waxy.org helped propel Ghyslain's popularity. Baio and Mukerji were later responsible for the campaign to buy Ghyslain an iPod and some Future Shop certificates as a symbol of their allegiance and support. The only problem again is that none of this seems to be driven by any expressed desire by the Quebec teenager. Could anything be more revealing of the lack of regard for his wishes than the lack of questioning in this interview of whether he wanted them to promote his cause (instead ... Do you also read weblogs????). In a French interview with Radio Canada his lawyer (the family sued the other teenagers who put the video up on Kazaa) indicates that the family had pleaded with all media to stop promoting the story and drawing attention to Ghyslain's situation. Is it a big leap to assume that all media applies to online media?

So before the geeks start slapping each other on the back for a job well done getting the boy an iPod, and starting a campaign to get him into Star Wars III (how about over 146,000 signatures???) it should be noted that all of this goodwill may not have been received as such. Despite repeated pleas from Baio for an update including this one just months ago, the silence from Ghyslain and his family speaks volumes.

Perhaps surprisingly the most lucid response to the situation came from Lucasfilm spokeswoman Jeanne Cole: "We are deeply saddened by this current situation and any difficulties this uninvited publicity might be causing Ghyslain and his family. We have no other statement."

Hopefully we will never know whether the publicity avalanche drove Ghyslain into permanent psychiatric care (his parents indicated that he would be under such care for an indefinite amount of time when filing their lawsuit) or if he felt deep gratitude at his fame and has been reveling in it ever since.

The sociological conclusion is that none of this was ever about the Quebec teenager but instead fed the need for the geeks, bloggers, privacy lawyers, guerilla video editors and star wars aficionados to express themselves through his story. All of the rest of it is just bold-faced speculation, unnecessary and uncomplicated and unfortunately Ghyslain has been forced to embody this meme by an excitable audience. It provides unwelcome support for Thomas Hobbes' view of man as naturally selfish hedonist -- "of the voluntary acts of every man, the object is some good to himself". Important to note that while Hobbes held this view of the world he also saw that men would rebel against recognizing this indication and would often see themselves as outside but observant of this natural law.

Labels: internet, sociology