A new experience of the live and the shared

The most interesting among the entries in this division were the web, apps and video works that boldly tried to create new types of experiences. Keywords that describe their common threads include "live" and "shared." Livecasting on Ustream, for example, became a social networking hit. People shared and discussed their feelings and reactions on Twitter and Facebook, filling the web with talk of shared experiences that precipitated a broadening and deepening of community.
This year's epoch-maker, perhaps, was the SPACE BALLOON PROJECT, which brought together like-minded people who were physically unable to be in the same place and transported them into space. The Museum of Me was also outstanding, using personal information from Facebook to quickly create shared experiences that reminded users of the irreplaceability of their individual networks and the majesty of personal information. Apps designed for the iPad presented a variety of straightforward, easy-to-understand ideas, and it is encouraging to see the insatiable drive of plucky developers in releasing one work after another. The game industry has shifted noticeably toward big, epic titles and the nearly complete lack of experimental game submissions concerns me. The everyday lives of individuals are naturally led separately, but I look forward to seeing where this movement toward plugging into a favorite community once in a while to enjoy "live" and "shared" entertainment will lead. Perhaps next we'll see the emergence of ways to actually generate "real" experiences.