Apr 25, 2024
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Josh Freed’s New TV Documentary Deluged By Data

Deluged By Date, airing on CBC-TV Doc Zone, Thursday, March 12 at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT), begins with a familiar refrain: our ever-expanding digital age has swamped us under incoming emails, tweets, texts, alerts, photos, Facebook posts – and now, new bio-feedback data that peeks deep inside our bodies.

But are these the tools for a happy new cyber era – or “weapons of mass distraction”.

This eye-opening and entertaining new documentary by Montreal filmmaker Josh Freed reveals there are equal numbers of data lovers and data haters – with opposing visions.

Says Freed, “A growing army of “data-addicts” loves all this data and believes it will revolutionize our lives and bring us “happiness through numbers” – salvation through information. But many former data addicts are burned out and bummed out. They think we’re suffering from data overload and “Infobesity “— and it’s time to go on a “data diet.”

The film casts a humorous but sympathetic eye on a growing movement of so-called “datasexuals”, seduced and obsessed by the allure of raw data. Their new data-collecting devices are both fascinating and mind-boggling. But Freed also talks to former data freaks who’ve learned to take regular digital Sabbaths – and even go to special retreats for a digital detox.

DELUGED BY DATA visits a gathering of devotees of the new movement known as QS – The Quantified Self – who believe in “self-knowledge through numbers.” They measure everything from their computer keystrokes to exactly how many minutes they spend with each person every day. They use biofeedback apps to quantify their heart rate, brain waves, calorie intake, sleep rhythms, menstrual cycles, stress levels, and “galvanic skin response” – then graph it against their moods – searching for a lifestyle “formula for happiness.”
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At the monthly “meet-ups” of their QS clubs, found in every major North American city, they swap information about the latest miraculous data devices. They believe that, like the check-ups we do on our cars, we should perform regular data checks of our bodies and minds – to help us build a better, and happier, us.

The film also introduces us to self-confessed tech addicts who are trying to break the habit. They flee to Camp Grounded, a California retreat where all devices are confiscated on arrival, and adult campers are offered a “digital detox”, so recovering addicts can re-connect with themselves by disconnecting from their devices.

DELUGED BY DATA features an articulate array of young, tech-savvy people, each shedding light on facets of the essential question: “How far will the data revolution go before it transforms us?”

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Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Headline, Industry News

Josh Freed’s New TV Documentary Deluged By Data

Deluged By Date, airing on CBC-TV Doc Zone, Thursday, March 12 at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT), begins with a familiar refrain: our ever-expanding digital age has swamped us under incoming emails, tweets, texts, alerts, photos, Facebook posts – and now, new bio-feedback data that peeks deep inside our bodies.

But are these the tools for a happy new cyber era – or “weapons of mass distraction”.

This eye-opening and entertaining new documentary by Montreal filmmaker Josh Freed reveals there are equal numbers of data lovers and data haters – with opposing visions.

Says Freed, “A growing army of “data-addicts” loves all this data and believes it will revolutionize our lives and bring us “happiness through numbers” – salvation through information. But many former data addicts are burned out and bummed out. They think we’re suffering from data overload and “Infobesity “— and it’s time to go on a “data diet.”

The film casts a humorous but sympathetic eye on a growing movement of so-called “datasexuals”, seduced and obsessed by the allure of raw data. Their new data-collecting devices are both fascinating and mind-boggling. But Freed also talks to former data freaks who’ve learned to take regular digital Sabbaths – and even go to special retreats for a digital detox.

DELUGED BY DATA visits a gathering of devotees of the new movement known as QS – The Quantified Self – who believe in “self-knowledge through numbers.” They measure everything from their computer keystrokes to exactly how many minutes they spend with each person every day. They use biofeedback apps to quantify their heart rate, brain waves, calorie intake, sleep rhythms, menstrual cycles, stress levels, and “galvanic skin response” – then graph it against their moods – searching for a lifestyle “formula for happiness.”
.
At the monthly “meet-ups” of their QS clubs, found in every major North American city, they swap information about the latest miraculous data devices. They believe that, like the check-ups we do on our cars, we should perform regular data checks of our bodies and minds – to help us build a better, and happier, us.

The film also introduces us to self-confessed tech addicts who are trying to break the habit. They flee to Camp Grounded, a California retreat where all devices are confiscated on arrival, and adult campers are offered a “digital detox”, so recovering addicts can re-connect with themselves by disconnecting from their devices.

DELUGED BY DATA features an articulate array of young, tech-savvy people, each shedding light on facets of the essential question: “How far will the data revolution go before it transforms us?”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Headline, Industry News

Josh Freed’s New TV Documentary Deluged By Data

Deluged By Date, airing on CBC-TV Doc Zone, Thursday, March 12 at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT), begins with a familiar refrain: our ever-expanding digital age has swamped us under incoming emails, tweets, texts, alerts, photos, Facebook posts – and now, new bio-feedback data that peeks deep inside our bodies.

But are these the tools for a happy new cyber era – or “weapons of mass distraction”.

This eye-opening and entertaining new documentary by Montreal filmmaker Josh Freed reveals there are equal numbers of data lovers and data haters – with opposing visions.

Says Freed, “A growing army of “data-addicts” loves all this data and believes it will revolutionize our lives and bring us “happiness through numbers” – salvation through information. But many former data addicts are burned out and bummed out. They think we’re suffering from data overload and “Infobesity “— and it’s time to go on a “data diet.”

The film casts a humorous but sympathetic eye on a growing movement of so-called “datasexuals”, seduced and obsessed by the allure of raw data. Their new data-collecting devices are both fascinating and mind-boggling. But Freed also talks to former data freaks who’ve learned to take regular digital Sabbaths – and even go to special retreats for a digital detox.

DELUGED BY DATA visits a gathering of devotees of the new movement known as QS – The Quantified Self – who believe in “self-knowledge through numbers.” They measure everything from their computer keystrokes to exactly how many minutes they spend with each person every day. They use biofeedback apps to quantify their heart rate, brain waves, calorie intake, sleep rhythms, menstrual cycles, stress levels, and “galvanic skin response” – then graph it against their moods – searching for a lifestyle “formula for happiness.”
.
At the monthly “meet-ups” of their QS clubs, found in every major North American city, they swap information about the latest miraculous data devices. They believe that, like the check-ups we do on our cars, we should perform regular data checks of our bodies and minds – to help us build a better, and happier, us.

The film also introduces us to self-confessed tech addicts who are trying to break the habit. They flee to Camp Grounded, a California retreat where all devices are confiscated on arrival, and adult campers are offered a “digital detox”, so recovering addicts can re-connect with themselves by disconnecting from their devices.

DELUGED BY DATA features an articulate array of young, tech-savvy people, each shedding light on facets of the essential question: “How far will the data revolution go before it transforms us?”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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