In the final meeting, we have "opened" the time capsule videos, and discussed our process throughout the semester.
The time capsule videos were videos recorded after our first meeting in December 2020. Before watching them, the participants were asked to try and recall any memories they've had regarding their upcoming videos. The participants were asked to make a short video, around a minute long, for a message they wish to convey to their future-selves alongside the group-members, and what they hope to achieve together.
Interestingly, the group members did not remember the content of their videos – not the words that they spoke at the time, nor the exact date the video was taken.
While watching the time capsule videos together, the group members have made other connections through time – those were of Comparison, Consistency and Anchors.
For Comparison – one participant compared their present-self to their past-self and commented they "needed a haircut" (at the present).
For Consistency (of the Self) – the members said that they agree with their past-self in the video; that what they had hoped for at the start of the meetings was still their goal (even if fulfilled).
The notion of Anchors was expressed in relation to time; Anchors being information that helped us in the present to place the video within a certain timeframe. For example, visual cues in the background allowed the participant to place themselves before an significant event they did remember (moving between apartments); or one video that mentioned a specific event that took place on January 6th, 2021. Another participant recalled information based on the angle the video was taken from, and remembered they have just worked out before filming. The Anchors allowed the participants to know where and when they were coming from while filming themselves.
Regarding the content of the videos, it was divided between those who wished for a "lively discussion" and those who wanted "friendly disagreements" for the group's future. Both sides agreed their goals were satisfied. Some of the participants expressed a wish for an improvement regarding the COVID-19 pandemic; and that things would "return to normal" by the time the videos were watched.
An issue that was discussed in previous meeting was brought up – Time Travel into the Future. After it was presented in one of the videos, we managed to distill its essence – wishing to witness the outcomes of processes. Time Travel into the Future and looking forwards gives us answers and certainty regarding the question: "What do you think was going to happen?"; and allows for us to compare our predictions with the actual outcomes.
Most of the group members admitted that the submitted video was not the "take" of the video. Some could not recall if they watched the video after recording it, and before submitting it.
In response, one member addressed the issue of doing "rehearsals" in general before the actual events. As academics, they presented two methods one could take – "write out" VS "wing out". They said that practicing a presentation beforehand is a hindrance to them, which gets them "stuck" when they try for a "repeat performance". Therefore, "winging it" in presentations is the method that suits them best.
Concluding this part of the discussion, the group members agreed that time influences how we perceive the impact of a task. The time capsule videos were meant to be up to a minute long. Many said they did not know what to talk about for an entire minute, and that at the time (before the recording), this seemed a Big Task to fulfill, even somewhat daunting. Looking back, however, this seemed like a small task, and it was hard to see it as a Big Task.
The discussion then moved to "products of the time"; on the one hand, reboots of popular culture products, and on the other hand, popular culture products that could not have been made nowadays (such as "All in The Family", with Archie Bunker). In particular, "Seinfeld", the TV show, was mentioned – and how unlikely it is to be rebooted. One participant argued that "each product is of its own particular time". Another participant added that reboots are made while counting on the sense of Nostalgia (of the potential audiences), and that there is a "Nostalgia trend" as of late in the cultural products that are created; perhaps pandering to a longing for "the wonder years". A different take was that reboots are meant to "modernize" shows that people consumed as children, for the new generation – maybe even to experience it with their own children. It was claimed even new TV shows count on Nostalgia – such as "Stranger Things". One participant asked how likely it is that a show such as "The 70's Show" would be created on the 2000s. How much different the time periods are in comparison? Is one period "more simplistic" than the other? Is it the allure of pre-9/11 content? Is nowadays much less appealing?
It was also argued that nowadays, the cultural products are less subtle about their social commentary, in comparison with the past.
The discussion moved to the subject of the internet and its connection with time. The internet, it was argued, made us "timeless". In a sense, it can steal one's "essence" – it fixates the user and their action in a particular time. It creates a digital, immortalized persona (which was presented, in a way, in a "Black Mirror" episode called "Be Right Back"). Living in the digital space, creates a different reality – one different than a history that manifested itself through physical artifacts. The internet, in a sense, makes it easier for events or occurrences to vanish. As much as this is not an intuitive claim, viable examples were given – such as yahoo groups, which stored lively discussions and an assortment of fictional stories; or GeoCities and its communities.
The Trump Library was mentioned, as it would have to have, by law, copies of every statement made by President Donald Trump. Given President Trump's Twitter account was banned (and still is, as of May 2021), the group wondered how the Trump Library would deal with this issue – and the notion of creating Hard Copies of the digitalized information.
Restrictions on the internet were also discussed, as well as NFTs.
Thinking back on how much changed between the 90s and the 70s, we wondered what kind of materials and evidence a historian would find about these decades, a hundred years from now.
We concluded that the group was an engaging pursuit on a topic outside of the group members' subjects of study, which allowed a challenging intellectual pursuit between the members, which was enjoyable as much as it was enriching.
We live in a time full of rapid changes, aware of ourselves (at some level), looking at the time passing and acknowledging it as an Era.
What does the future hold? For now, only time would tell.