Dotcomguy or Dotcon Guy?
Analysis/Commentary
In the tradition of flag-pole climbing, goldfish swallowing,
and other acts of empty exhibitionism, a systems administrator
for a telecommunications company has decided to change his name
to "Dotcomguy," hole himself up in a Dallas house (the Dotcompound),
and stay put for a year.
The only thing between the Dotcomguy and hermetic isolation
will be the Net, a cluster of live cams, and a crew of yuppie
sycophants. His website showcases live chat, 24-hour events
and entertainment, shopping, and even a live dog.
Now what is this guy's claim to fame again? I mustn't have
heard right the first time. He's a computer geek? Well, aren't we all?
In this age of paper-thin personalities, the Dotcomguy
manages to raise a wave of interest. Go figure.
When I visited the Dotcomguy website, however, I was agreeably surprised. Acceptable formatting and coding, functional live feeds and chat,
and an overall funny, friendly feel. But "Saturday Net Live"? Eek.
Obviously, the Dotcomguy has hit the mother lode of flimsy
corporate giveaways; freebies that turn non-events into crowd
scenes. Exhibitionists attract exhibitionists, and the corporations
are queuing up to cushion this dude's bed of nails.
The business model he aims at is probably inspired more by
broadcasting than anything else. He is Regis, Beavis and Butthead,
and Mr. Rogers all rolled together; he even has a train of hangers-on,
directors, movie stars, and aimless rich kids -- in short, a
representative cross-section of the digital art fringe.
Having signed on in chat as "Webwriter," I wasn't able to
sustain a meaningful conversation with anyone, but I did manage
to attract a couple of funny responses from sideline critics.
Whoever does his public relations probably has him gagged and
tied in the bathroom whenever meaningful subjects are broached.
So what is this guy up to? Probably Big-Brothering himself, dotcomming,
surfing the dot-com wave, and tapping into the self-advertising
playfulness of average slobs. But doesn't TV already do that?
July 5, 2000
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