ZooTV: Television Series Surveillance/The Body/Alternative [Documentary] (1997)

via https://unclefishbits.com/mtv-absolutely-incredibly-vitally-important-one-noticed/

When MTV was absolutely, incredibly, vitally important was when no one noticed. (updated from Dec 2014)
by Uncle Fishbits - 29 March, 2021

In 1997, MTV produced one of the most prescient shows in television history about privacy, surveillance, technology. It was partially funded by U2, had nothing to do with U2 (album outtakes were used as a score), and it was called ZooTV. And it was so amazingly important, and no one noticed. It was so subversive, especially about the marketing at youth…. so they purposefully made it hard to follow and watch. They’d play this episodically on non-subsequent weekends at different times, and on different days.

Here’s a Wired article from when the show ran: https://www.wired.com/1997/04/mtv-opens-cage-for-wild-zoo-tv/

“It’s like mental antacid.”, but I’d also say it’s like the classic “Liquid Television” married to harrowing documentary, crossed with this post-modernist absurdism that blurs the lines of fact and fiction.  I don’t think it’s marginalizes the intended message, but there are some clips that veer from satirical prodding to complete farce (see hidden history of hip hop, but super funny).

Please watch… it will blow your mind. They predicted youtube, amongst other amazing predictions like personalization, etc. 1997

Part I is all about surveillance-
but how we opt-into it enthusiastically, or we errantly and naively don’t realize it’s happening. THIS IS 1997!!!

Ep 1 part 1


Ep 1 part 2


 

Part 2 deals with the body-
the changing boundary of what “being human” means, and our programming our DNA. “Treating the body like a machine means they can sell you parts”.

“They say that when we can talk to a machine without realizing we’re talking to a machine, we’ve invented artificial intelligence. But if we’re talking to machines, did they get smarter, or did we get dumber”

Ep 2 part 1


Ep 2 part 2


 

Part 3 – What is really “Alternative”
Because they’re selling it to you. Cobain’s New Wave comment was great…. punk wasn’t a thing until they took the S&M wear and commodified it into a fashion, anyway.

Ep 3 part 1


Ep 3 part 2