Have you heard about Miranda July's new project, "We Think Alone"? Every Monday from July 1 until November 11, July is sending a dedicated list of subscribers a compendium of emails about various topics, written by the likes of Lena Dunham, Kirsten Dunst, Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and more. I signed up as soon as I heard about the project and was excited to see the first installment in my inbox on Monday (the subject was money; one of the emails was Dunham emailing her assistant that she'd decided a custom-made Swedish couch was just too expensive; another was Kirsten Dunst letting some third party know that one of her friends was buying her car for $7,000).
In its simplest form, July says "We Think Alone" is all about how we comport ourselves in the emails we write to other people, and how intimate getting a glimpse into each other's inboxes can be. I mean, think about it: Would you want total strangers having access to your Sent mail folder? I definitely wouldn't, even though pretty much everything I send is totally benign (minus the occasional gossipy note).
Also, for me, the tone of an email is exceptionally important—I want my sentences to convey pretty much the exact same emotion they would if I were talking to someone face to face, although I know that's not as important to other people as simply getting the point across (I've been the recipient of many a curt email—or text message—that I thought was kind of rude or unnecessarily direct, only to realize upon further communication or an in-person follow-up that the sender was actually being neither of those things; they just wanted to get the message across as succinctly as possible). So maybe that's why I feel like email is so intimate, as well, because I try to make my notes as similar to in-person dialogue as possible.
So anyway, July's project is fascinating to me—and especially timely in the wake of national discussions about privacy—and I'm looking forward to the next batch of emails. Have you signed up to receive them? Would you be OK with someone going through your inbox?
Photo by i.anton
WOAH this is a really cool project. Wondering if I can sign up. Would you forward on the e-mail?!
ReplyDeleteeileen
leaner by the lake
I'm sure you can! Just sent you the first installment. :)
DeleteWow, how cool! It's interesting to think how different people view electronic communication. I'm of the "short and to the point" style, especially professionally, and my last boss would only bring it up when she was mad at me. She and one other colleague did not like how "curt" my emails were- they wanted me to be more flowery and circle around an issue, but I did not have time for that. Sure made me paranoid from then on, so I put a little more consideration into my emails (granted, it all depends on who I'm sending the email to). So much is lost, though, especially when texting. Thank goodness for emoticons, which help convey sarcasm.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a cool idea! It's interesting to get an inside peek into anyone's lives, but even more interesting when those people have been put on a pedestal in some way.
ReplyDeleteI would NOT be ok with anyone seeing my inbox. Like you, everything is pretty benign, but I am very protective of my thoughts, period. I don't even like when people look at my calendar!
That is very cool. I would not be okay with it, but of course I'd be curious to read everyone else's! ;-)
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