Austin360 blogs > Digital Savant > Archives > 2010 > March > 13 > Entry
SXSW Panel: A Conversation with Ze Frank
Date/Time: 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 13
Panelist: Designer and online performance artist Ze Frank, interviewed by Scott Kirsner
Takeaways: Unfortunately, this conversation was short on usable information for creative types looking for inspiration and long on the details of Ze Frank’s history on the Web. With his personable nature and funny take on life online, Frank has gained a substantial following through his quirky Web projects, the most famous of which was a yearlong daily video series called The Show that ended in 2007.
Frank, whose first name is pronounced “zay,” talked about his fascination with the emotional content being shared online. His online projects, such as Young Me Now Me, harness our desire for deeper, meaningful connections, even though the content might seem superficial. He once got a lot of hate mail from a project he hosted, and he turned the text of the hate mail into an origami paper and asked people to make something beautiful out of it.
He touched on the importance of our digital legacy and how we use the Internet in the grieving process. “We’re discovering how resonant our thinking is,” he said. If you react strongly for or against something, you’ll be reaffirmed by finding others online who share your view.
Designers need to know how to code, but they should also be aware the social interaction behind online usage.
Quotes:
Frank: “No’s come in the form of silence.”
“Designers need to understand code, as a way of algorithmic thinking, but be aware of how social interactions work. What does it mean to be alive. The big questions of what makes life worth living.”
“The online world is such an amazing place. There’s a part of me that feels like returning home. This is the place where all this incredible energy is going on.”
“Social media lets us realize that the little emotions we feel and believe are uniquely ours but are often shared by virtually everyone.”
— Addie Broyles
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