Welcome to the Naked Generation

Earlier this month, 25-year-old Star magazine editor-at-large and dating columnist Julia Allison posted a blog entry about the swift end to her short relationship with Vimeo founder Jakob Lodwick. The word count? 1,195, not counting the e-mail exchange between the two of them that Allison had copy-pasted.

Jakob Lodwick and Julia Allison in merrier times.

(Credit: obeastiality.com)

Lodwick, 26, posted only 164 words in return on his blog. But considering Lodwick's blog is dedicated less to the profusion of words and more to a series of daily photographic self-portraits, that's understandable.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is my generation. Allison and Lodwick are my contemporaries, both in age and as fellow members of Manhattan's burgeoning digital media scene. I don't know exactly how many people actually read either of their public breakup statements, or who even gives a damn about their banter over selflessness versus narcissism, but I'm guessing it's not many. After all, the primary external publicity for both of them (aside from numerous media hits on cable news channels) has been Gawker, the perpetually sneering New York media blog that's made a business out of turning irritating members of the publishing industry into celebrities who probably don't deserve the press.

But Julia Allison and Jakob Lodwick are two examples of something bigger, a trend that may come to define our understanding of creative young Americans born in 1980-something. We are the Naked Generation, as I like to call it, the ones who snicker at the fact that Britney Spears' outfit at her much-maligned Video Music Awards performance was embarrassingly revealing but nod in quiet accordance at her ability to keep the world fascinated. We change the channel when reruns of The Simple Life show up on the E! network but grudgingly admire Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's ability to self-brand their way to lives of luxury and international renown.

But the majority of us didn't have "socialite" already on our resumes, so we turned to the Web. The Internet is more than just our stage; it's our dressing room, our cocktail lounge and, most notably, our PR department.

It's no longer noteworthy to point out that there are hordes of Web users who are putting their lives online, from revealing "personality surveys" posted in pink Comic Sans MS on glittery MySpace profiles, to Flickr play-by-plays of the wildest Pi Beta Phi rush week since the invention of the digital camera. I'm not talking about them. The Naked Generation is something different: its figureheads are smart, business-savvy young adults, typically in emerging creative fields, who see the embarrassing antics of "MySpace kids" and their emotional outpourings, and see a window of opportunity. They're smart, and they know it, so they think they can use online exhibition as an advantage rather than an embarrassment.

The word to highlight there is "think."

'Lifecasting' star Justine Ezarik

(Credit: Justine Ezarik)

Julia Allison and Jakob Lodwick are by no means alone. Look at Chris Crocker, the 19-year-old from Tennessee who took his dramatic YouTube personality over-the-top with a sobbing missive to Britney Spears haters that may or may not be tongue-in-cheek. There's Justin Kan of Justin.tv fame, who chose to turn a Yale degree and a Bay Area start-up job into a 24-hour streaming Webcast of a camera attached to his head--it might pose some issues with potential employment opportunities in the future, but hey, it's made him Internet-famous! Then there's Kan's follower, 23-year-old graphic designer Justine Ezarik, who continually confounds me with both her ability to keep her makeup in impeccable condition throughout an entire day's "lifecast" and her seemingly endless collection of low-cut tank tops.

We're not the only ones getting naked. A few months ago, Wired magazine had a cover story about corporate transparency, featuring The Office star Jenna Fischer on the cover--literally naked, with the dual aim of personifying bare-it-all business practices and selling more magazines to its largely male reader base. Transparency, like the candid blog put forth by billionaire Mark Cuban, isn't new to the marketing buzzword scene. But pure "corporate transparency" is often a strategy to put a new spin on a culture that wore a particularly negative mantle in the earlier part of this decade (hello, Enron). But last time I checked, no one thought 20-something journalists were evil. (Are we? Am I missing something?) The Naked Generation doesn't get naked to save face. It's a way to create face.

I'm not one to express disapproval--I have accounts on more social networking sites than I'd like to, and you can occasionally find me making faces for the camera on CNET TV--and simply chiding these "meta-exhibitionists" is not what I want to do. I don't see the Naked Generation as a threat to my contemporaries' livelihood, but rather as a deep curiosity. Is it out of arrogance or simply a lack of foresight that an army of strikingly intelligent and potentially innovative young people thinks that its brains and guile can differentiate it from those annoying kids with whiny video diaries?

In other words, does conscious and methodical self-branding really make it any different?

Every generation has its embarrassments (Hair bands? Shoulder pads?) but I'm wondering if my generation's embarrassment will be its lack thereof. Or maybe I shouldn't be talking about "embarrassment," because it's an antiquated concept by now. The cycle of ironic retro pop-culture revivals now spins so quickly that the most played-out trends of 2001 can be back in 2007 with a dose of hipster snarl. (Britney's original hit, "...Baby One More Time," is practically indie rock these days.)

The celebrity gossip press, of which Julia Allison is a card-carrying member, has brought us enough sufficiently humiliating photos, sex tape rumors, and third-hand recountings of wild nights at West Hollywood nightclubs that an anxiety dream about being naked on the subway seems rather ho-hum in comparison; I won't even start on Miss Teen South Carolina. With the sorts of outlandish things that turn up on TMZ.com and YouTube, the Naked Generation flippantly believes it has nothing to lose. So, the common wisdom now goes, go ahead and post that camera phone clip of you falling into the swimming pool. You should be proud of it. Putting yourself out there takes confidence.

Maybe there will be consequences for flagrant online exhibitionism as a way to climb the social ladder (or when their ladder-climbing reaches, say, the quest for elected office). Maybe there won't, and we'll be due for one Naked Generation after another into the foreseeable future. Or maybe the only real consequence will be the fact that when a more introverted younger generation asks us in disbelief whether people in 2007 actually did post their dating histories on the Internet for all to see, we'll have to smile awkwardly and say, "Yeah, we did." And then we'll fasten those extra buttons on our shirts.

[timcoyote]

Not Indie

Sorry, there is NOTHING that makes Baby One More Time indie rock.

[sadchild]

crappie

yep. not indie. but it's still crappie. anyone who likes that song needs to turn in their art card, cuz that ain't art.

[SeizeCTRL]

Yes & No

Have you ever heard Travis's cover? It's fantastic :)

[Len Bullard]

Narcissus Was A Nakie Too

The obsession of the young to stare into the self-reflecting pool is ancient. The gasp of middle age when the reflection becomes equally obsessed is as well documented.

Enjoy it. It doesn't last, thank God. Be glad this is a digital medium. It is highly perishable.

For those that do master some techniques and tools along the way, the turn outward is sometimes the opportunity to produce good work that deserves to go in the nightly backups.

[tenbosch]

No difference now than in the past

I don't think the vainness of today is any different then it has been in the past. These are just new tools for people to open their lives with. Books, magazines, television shows, exhibisions have been around for decades mostly, and in some cases centuries.

What has changed is our ability to peer into the lives of our neighbors, co-workers, celebrities, politicians, and the common man/woman. Curiosity is human nature. That's really the driving force. There's a competetive nature to this as well. The Jones affect. People want to outdo other people.

There's almost 7 billion (wikipedia) people on this earth. If 1% of the population was willing to pull their pants down, that would leave 70 million bums staring us in the face.

[Mousefinger]

Excellent Points

Yes...I totally agree with your points. I think you're spot on.

[Leria]

Time to realize that openness is good

It's time for the world to realize that openness is good and that anyone who wants to keep something 'secret' should be eyed with suspicion at least and disdain at most.
Personally, I have nothing in my life that I am ashamed of, not my sexual orientation, not my job, not my family (except my parents, them I am a little ashamed of!), and not my children.

[GregorH]

Naked Generation????

I found myself smiling to myself as I looked with interest at this TalkBack title. Very interesting, however misleading it is. I think that when North Americans get over their uptight hang-ups about the naked body, then you can use this term.
Except I don't think you really believe that this term is actually accurate, do you? You really never gave any real examples of the "Naked Generation", unless you equate nakedness with narcissistic, self-promotion. Then you may have something there. But then when have North Americans ever not been that way? Our history, and I speak mostly of Americans, is littered with examples of "Hey look at me!" stunts.
Do you want to know what I think? I think you used the term "Naked Generation" as a lure to get people to read your article. Hey it worked with me! :P And really now, isn't that what this article all about?

SENSATIONAL!

[btljooz]

EXACTLY! I was taught as a younster these things:

#1. "Fools names, like their faces, always show up in public places."

#2. If you don't want something used [u]against[/u] you, then do [b][u]NOT[/u][/b] write it down...[u]ANYWHERE[/u][b]!!![/b] ;)

[btljooz]

The above post was in response to tenbosch

Boy am I brain dead right now! :8} :O :8}

[sickboykevbo]

Nothing is sacred

I have been going to 7 Bamboo karaoke bar in San Jose, California's Japan Town for years and they have a live video webstream Thursday through Saturday during bar hours. After the show the individual performances are converted to AOL video files and posted to the web. You can't even sing really bad songs while totally drunk without people on the web seeing you in all your drunken glory. www.7bamboo.com

[TrapOfFools]

Moving Forward

Not only is this a fantastic depiction of society but it is written with the lightest touch of humor that may let the facts of this story stick in all our minds a little longer.

[ronaldl79]

So, I'm 'Naked' Now

Until today, I always considered myself to be a new media producer. I didn't know that as a blogger, lifecaster (http://justin.tv/ronaldlewis) and podcaster that I unknowingly became part of the "Naked Generation".

However, I guess it makes sense, as I do broadcast my life 24 hours a day for the world to view. Yet, it's an amazing opportunity to engage people from all around the world from the comfort of my bedroom -- or wherever life is happening at the moment.

Ronald Lewis
New Media Producer
Denver, Colorado
http://ronaldlewis.com

[NoVista]

and also

Slang usage in recent times:

"to completely relax and have a good time"

and I recall reading a statement among teens that to 'get naked' was to speak honestly without reservation, something along those lines.

[ecotopian--2008]

New York isn't the World, Fortunately

If the so-called Naked Generation will be remembered for anything,
it will be for its irrelevance. While you are posting this snarky
doodoo, the world is in the most trouble it's ever been in.
Fortunately, there are brilliant, perceptive people your age busy
redeeming your generation's sorry ass, who actually care about
what is going on, and are working to make a contribution.

[ewelch]

Try a more accurate description

Naked generation. They had nothing on our ancestors who
roamed the savannas of Africa a couple thousand generations
ago.

What is more in line with who they are, there are two words that
come to mind.

Dilettantes and narcissists. This should be Generation N for
narcissism. Because that's what this is about. Snarky comments
about people who don't think like they do, who don't look like
they do, and who don't worship money and fame like they do.

They bloviate with abandon. Maybe it's time to coin a new word?

Blogviate? Or maybe define a new pathology of Generation N ?
Narcissistic blogviationism.

[rcardona2k]

Truman show online?

Too many of you watched a bad movie. Get over it and not online
please.

[derrick_madrid]

Please... it's just 'Big Brother' on the web...

I realize how everybody wants to discover the next catch phrase, or brand the next generation so as to be quoted all over the place, but this is no 'naked generation', it's just Big Brother on the web.

Old stuff, oldish media. Nothing new.

[emerson direct]

Me Branding

I think we've entered the me-brand generation.

[sarababe1]

I love being nude, especially outdoors.

What is there to be ashamed of? Being nude is great, but it can be rather boring if you have to be alone to be nude. Quite often, the approach you use to tell somebody you are a nudist will have a big impact on how they respond. Some techniques work better than others, and will depend upon the people involved. You may need to check naturistspace.org out there, it's a cool place to meet some new&pure nudist friends... I met many cool like minded friends there.

[brad7575]

being naked

what is wrong with being naked. it is a great way to be,i enjoy being naked in fact i try to find as many places as i can to be naked. Iwould like to find a job where i could be naked all the time