My Critical Reflection 1: Loss of Grasp: lossofgrasp.com/

This is an interactive kinetic text installation that I found interesting, entertaining, and self-revealing. Go to lossofgrasp.com/ to watch.

     When one is thrown into an unfamiliar digital landscape it can be very displacing, frustrating, unnerving-- especially when the landscape does not come with the traditional guide posts and instructions.  This text does not allow us to passively watch a story unfold, but rather we must take part in the interpretation.  Upon an initial swipe of the mouse, the interactive reader sets out to learn how to read and turn the pages, so to speak, and the progression of interactive tasks compel reader to experiment with different actions that will move the story forward or deepen the story.
     The text is stimulating and at times surprising; the rewards compel the reader to acquire additional modes of interaction. The reader must work, experiment, employ problem-solving skills to figure out how to navigate in order to discover meaning at the surface and subtext.  There is the illusion of linear progression with the "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6" at the bottom of the page, but these are not in the reader's control.  In other words, we can't skip ahead because each page presents a new level of interactivity that we must assimilate in order to accomplish the next page.  I think this interactive story  is investing our personal lack of comfort with new mediums, technology, and change in general. I think it speaks to our desire for what is familiar and for what we can control. This piece also raises a few questions?  Is it reassuring or disconcerting how quickly we can reorient ourselves in this new environment and move from confusion to comprehension? And, really, who is getting manipulated, the digital story or the reader?  Having not "gamed" since Mrs. Pacman was around in the early '80's, I am also curious as to whether you gamers in the class ever felt a "loss of grasp" while learning how to navigate these six pages?  Did figuring out the rules of the road seem effortless for you?