EXPLOIT THE SCENE With Kyle “Kore” Parsons Episode 12: Stickam Wow I have had quite the week. Everything is breaking on me, costing me loads of money, or getting pissed on by my cat. Anyway let’s exploit this bitch. It has been quite some time since I have last discussed any type of social network. In my mind’s eye when I began this column, I wanted to put off the inevitable “Stickam discussion” as long as possible because I routinely use it for my scene research, if you will, as it has become the unofficial hang out for scene kids. It is also important to note that I am not a fan of this site, so this isn’t going to be a SocialVibe or Twitter type of backseat explanation like you’ve seen from me before. First, if you are unaware, Stickam is basically a video chat networking site, similar to Myspace, in terms of friends and comments, but is actually typically used in conjunction with Myspace. Myspace has become the marketing tool for Stickam users; posting bulletins and updating your status is a good way to populate your room. The concept is simple, anyone with moderate internet connection can host a chat session and, depending on the settings the host chooses, can have a panel of up to six individuals who can also jump on cam and participate in the video portion of the chat, (the viewers are not limited to six, only the video feeds are limited.) The more and more I watch these little live sessions, the more and more I wonder what the purpose of this whole concept was for. Video chat sites stereotypically fall under one of two categories; one, being a business web session that can be hosted by a team leader, or two – porn. Stickam is a sceney mess of both. In fact, I have recently learned that Stickam is not only owned by a porn company, but is also ran by the very same people out of the same office. I don’t want to jump to any conclusions about this connection because it doesn’t necessarily mean anything unethical (unless Stickam wants a bailout like the rest of the porn industry,) but it does raise an eyebrow or two when the marketing of this site has been directed toward kids. Scene kids… or kids in general rather, don’t need anymore of a push in the wrong direction – but orchestrating a video chat platform that allows under-aged kids to get together without fear of person-to-person contact can create many situations that would make parents cringe. These are all fun ideas, but the main piece of Stickam that really gets to me is the content that is displayed. I’m not talking about the under-aged genitalia that gets flashed, which there is plenty of, what I’m talking about is the right of free speech being exercised to an obnoxious level. Stickam has made it possible for any idiot to “go live,” draw in a crowd, and share their non researched, naïve, or young opinions to the world. Don’t we already have CNN for this? The site gives viewers the option to join a room without logging in. You are just added to a list of “lurkers” that are viewing the room but don’t want the host to identify them. While lurking I was able to come across several wonderful live sessions, including the following three: One 16 year old scene male was getting high on his Stickam live session with 40 viewers, and “teaching” us the complexities of the judicial system. His lesson had a few holes in it though, including confusing the two major political parties and being too high to complete even one sentence. I literally asked him to clarify one simple thought and he studied the question so long that he forgot what he was even talking about. That was my exit. I doubt anyone was actually listening to a word he was saying; it was more about watching the idiot kid toke up and make a fool of himself for all to see. Hopefully someone recorded it and it bites him in the ass when he goes for an interview down the road. Another live chat I witnessed was a 15 year old slutty scene female. She had over 400 viewers watching her as she was lying on her kitchen floor, web cam pointing straight down her falsified clamped cleavage, taking “shots” of a clear liquid we were supposed to believe was vodka, and smiling oh so flirtatiously at the gawking men. Oh I almost forgot her trick! In between shots she would shove her shot glass in between her boobs. Wouldn’t want to misplace it, I guess. When you are the host, Stickam gives you the option to put a caption on your video box. This girl’s caption was a count of all the “shots” she took. By the time I entered the room she was on shot 16. I can think of a dozen colorful condescending remarks to explain how I feel, but simply: that bitch would be on her ass if that mystery liquid was actually vodka. I wish it was vodka; how fun would it be to watch a scene slut pass out and die on Stickam? That’s entertainment. The last example I have for you will probably hold the least amount of weight, but actually infuriated me the most as this one individual sums up my entire logic of scene kids. This 17 year old scene male went all out on his hair, make up, and clothing choice prior to “going live.” He had every stereotyped scene accessory you could think of: blackened eyes, multiple necklaces, hair over his face with a bandana tied around his head, etc. I watched him interact with his 60 viewers for quite some time. Little girls asked him typical loaded questions that a naïve scene girl would, and he would respond with a very rehearsed, dignified voice, like he was some famous musician in an interview. The facial expressions, the dialogue, the meaningless sighs before he would dive into his next explanation (to fake brain activity) – it was all such a joke! I could feel my eyes rolling back in my head from the amount of idiocy leaking out of my monitor. It was then that the question “what’s your favorite band” came up. He actually shocked me. I was waiting for him to say some typical sceney band. I had even taken bets in my head as to which one he would choose – but to my surprise he gave a speech explaining why he doesn’t like music. A scene kid… A SCENE KID, on Stickam, gave an asinine speech about how he doesn’t like music. He said, “Everyone is always saying that music is their life, but I’m just really not that into it. I hardly ever listen to music.” …awesome way to represent the scene, buddy. I’m telling you, if I could have choked him out through my screen, I would have. Then, like clock work, two dozen little scene girls jumped on the band wagon agreeing with every statement he was feeding them. I don’t know why I would expect anything more – they aren’t capable of having their own opinions. Silly me. After discussing a few fads and several explanations for why the scene kids are the way they are – I think I need to let up on blaming Myspace a bit. Stickam takes the cake for allowing scene kids to even further develop their false sense of identities. It’s one thing when you create a Myspace profile explaining how you are a deep dark emo child through dramatized photos and misspelled fragments, but it’s a whole other thing when you get to act that part in front of a bunch of other fakes. Stickam is just one more piece of the equation in this lifestyle, and some of these kids are die hard for it. There are even a group of them that keep themselves logged in while they are sleeping. I don’t get it. No matter what, no one is what they actually seem when you are viewing their fabricated personality through the internet, and now we have a new sector of the web that is creating all sorts of new things to laugh at. It’s feeding into the “sexting” trend, it’s making on line “relationships” seem that much more feasible, it’s allowing young kids to have “private sessions,” and most importantly (to me anyway,) it’s once again devaluing the music. Now more than ever I feel that the scene is a subculture of followers. It has gone on enough years that these new kids aren’t even aware of what they’re following anymore. I implore you to check out Stickam, search through the live shows, and witness the abomination of our youth with me.