Somebody

I was browsing the Atlantic website recently when I came across an article discussing an app produced by the artist Miranda July called Somebody. The app supposedly enables users to send messages to others via a human being. Basically, the author says, "Instead of getting a text from somebody you know, you get that message delivered by a stranger who finds you using GPS and performs the message in the style of the sender." The artist believes as a society our obsessions with and addictions to technology in its various forms is isolating us from each other. Her app is meant to do the opposite of alienate; rather, it connects people who would not otherwise come in contact with each other.

I thought the concept of the app was certainly interesting, and the app as an art form was something I hadn't previously considered. There are plenty of safety issues with the app, however, that I suppose the author wants us to overlook because it's art. I know I certainly wouldn't want a friend to send me a fist bump or even a "hello" from a random stranger who could be potentially dangerous, especially if I'm by myself or in a secluded place. One of the reviewers of the app on the iOS App Store the author cites briefly mentions this, saying, "... I'll be entertained by a stranger showing up at my house, or maybe in a dark alley, to whisper something creepy in my ear and/or do a song and/or dance at a time I least expect it." 

Another issue the author of the article has with the app is that many times it simply does not work. Users have trouble creating accounts with the app and importing their contacts, and many report that the app crashes seemingly at random. The artist addresses this in an interview the author cites, saying, "Because it's an art project too, I think people might expect it to be flaky and conceptual, and I just want to put the word out there that it's not going to be." Unfortunately for July, it is just that: flaky and unreliable. 

As an art project, Somebody is interesting and thought provoking. It prompts users to consider how they communicate with others and how technology affects their communication habits. However, practically, the app doesn't work. Literally, the software doesn't work, but it also doesn't provide any protection against the possibility of assault. Simply put, the Somebody app is appealing in theory, but just plain absurd in practice.