obsessing about what is "real"

Salon readers have taken to arguing about whether letters to Cary Tennis are fiction. (Requires subscription or watching an advert for a one-day pass.)

And the lonelygirl15 discussion was only the latest of many such "does this child with cancer really exist" maelstroms. (My favourite video commentary on LG15 - the "modern YouTube auteur" one linked from my Video area - is good regardless of Bree's degree of realness. I feel myself edging towards a point about "art" here, but I'll save it for the next post.)

And yesterday I bought some Tupperware on eBay and the buyer referenced three different names (one for the ID, one for the bank account, one for the PO box)...and in other arenas recently I've found myself eavesdropping on people obsessing about what is "real". My philosophical friends (e.g. David) must be enjoying this even more than I am.

Today's public link: Danah Boyd on "Facebook's Privacy Trainwreck"