Hot Girl / Otaku 30 Days - Can You Survive Only on the Internet?

(Central News Agency reporter Yan Lingru, Portland exclusive report on the 19th) The man was outside the house, and the woman inside, talking through glass walls using iPhones. People wondered why they didn't just walk a few steps to talk directly? Originally, this was part of the "Public Isolation Experiment" plan. The woman would be in seclusion for a month, only communicating with the outside world via phone or the internet, exploring the impact of internet dependency on modern people.

The bSIDE6Gallery in Portland's East District became the experimental site for the "Public Isolation Project" launched by fashion photographer Joshua Jay Elliott. The "guinea pig" participating in this experiment was Cristin Norine, who has multiple identities as a photographer, TV program producer, and freelance writer.

During the 30-day experiment, Norine’s every move, whether awake, asleep, sitting, standing, day or night, could be seen clearly by passersby through the gallery's glass wall, leaving her without any privacy. Only the small bathroom served as her final fortress, free from external prying eyes. Inside this experimental space, there were computers, desks, sofas, bookshelves, beds, fitness equipment, and cooking facilities available. Her food and daily necessities were delivered to her doorstep through online reservations. However, she was only allowed to receive packages and not allowed to speak with anyone.

Elliott said that the inspiration for this highly experimental dynamic art creation came from wanting to further explore the relationship between modern life and the internet. He stated that due to the influence of advanced networking, modern people are constantly being watched by others, “now we have less privacy than before.”

Why not conduct the experiment himself? Elliott laughed, saying many people had asked this question. Due to work commitments, he couldn’t stay isolated for an entire month without stepping out, while Norine, who happened to be unemployed at the time, had a more flexible schedule, so she became the subject of the experiment.

During the one-month experiment, Norine recorded her interactions with friends and strangers through platforms like Facetime and Skype, along with her own feelings. Elliott, holding a camera, filmed the entire experiment from outside the glass wall. Whatever Norine typed on her computer or engaged in video conversations with anyone, the large screen above her desk projected her computer screen directly, allowing all passersby to see it.

Elliott mentioned that what surprised him most was the immediate and enthusiastic response the experiment received, with media outlets like CNN reporting on it. “Clearly, this is an issue that many people want to discuss.”

During her seclusion, although Norine couldn’t converse face-to-face with others, she could still communicate with the outside world via iPhone-Facetime (but normal voice calls were prohibited), maintaining interpersonal communication and not being completely isolated.

Elliott pointed out that if there were no internet, Norine’s life during the 30-day seclusion would have been entirely different, much more boring. During this period, Norine even had more time and opportunities to chat with family and friends than before the experiment.

He said, “I know she talks to her family every day via video, which wasn’t as frequent before.”

In the early stages of the experiment, Norine wrote in her online diary that the hardest thing to endure was being constantly stared at by strangers 24 hours a day, but this psychological discomfort gradually disappeared over time.

Norine also encountered many memorable episodes, including a certain midnight early in the experiment when a passerby thought she was trapped inside and hurriedly tried to rescue her. There were also often strangers holding notes tightly against the glass wall for her to read, with encouraging messages written on them. Nearby office workers brought their lunches to the sidewalk outside the gallery every noon, sitting down and sharing lunch with Norine through the glass wall.

She also mentioned that an elderly gentleman regularly knocked on the glass wall next to her bed every morning at 8:45, shouting, “Wake up! Start a new day!” Even if she was already awake, he would say the same thing, which she found very endearing.

After the experiment concluded, Norine's biggest realization after coming out of seclusion was learning to cherish real-life human interactions more. She even turned off her computer for several days. In her blog, she wrote that this experience taught her not to heavily depend on her iPhone or the internet. She now views the use of "Facebook" with a completely different mindset, reducing the number of friends in her account. If misunderstandings occur during text message communications now, she insists on resolving issues through phone calls or face-to-face discussions.

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