"People need language and narratives to 'conceptualise' and 'organise' their world. Cultures compete to provide 'perceptions' and 'narrations' of reality (Kuttainen, 2015). In society, it is an orienting process where 'controllers' can easily manipulate narratives of reality.
Kuttainen's piece of 1920s, 30s, 40s modernity, imagery of passenger liners cruising South Pacific destinations comes to life. Language interacts with the senses and flaneurism re-emerges again, and is actualised into performance. 'Voyagism' ideal is visualised and structured through radio, magazines and movies, the nuanced modalities of ephemeral entertainment of a bygone era. This 'mythological' cultural space disappeared after Pearl Harbour (2013).
Today, the new ephemeratic metamorphosis of post-modernity which dominates the social landscape is the language of the cyber-flaneur. This cyber-place seems to meet the geographical requirements of minds willing to explore cyber-realms of possibility in one's chosen domain ; but does it? The power of the individual may be 'reduced' at the controller's will.
The 'new' fad on the horizon is the Internet of Things (IoT) which takes cyber-flaneurism to a whole new level. Devices are hooked up to each other and to 'us'. Can we be man and machine simultaneously? We are the innocent, being led down strange mythological paths of 'ephemeral' knowing.
The 'Songlines' narrative (Chatwin, 1987) the indigenous concept 'to sing' and bring places into view. One may consider it a restructuring of time and space, to evoke ancestor's spirits to ancient, sacred sites (animism). Our barbeque areas seem to coincide, not collide. We reach out for something unseen, unknown or misplaced, as we search for similar superhero powers.
Become unleashed, to find 'true' self.
Then, we all may survive together in a safe and secure habitus, interconnected as one. We are the same species - human.
References
Chatwin, B., (1987). The Songlines. London: Cape.
Dalziell, T., & Genoni, P. (2013). Kuttainen, V., Style, modernity and popular magazines. Telling Stories: Australian Life and Literature 1935-2012. Clayton, Victoria: Monash University Publishing.
Kuttainen, V. (2015). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, narratives and making of place, Lecture 5: Stories and Places. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au
hyperlink: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_Things
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