I don’t know if you have heard of Justin Kan yet, but he is becoming the new rage in reality programming on the internet. It’s called Lifecasting. It’s reality programming with a twist. This time it’s from the perspective of Kan who wears a videocam strapped to his head all day recording his every waking moment. And, at night a stationary video camera records his every sleeping moment. This provides a live Web feed to his fans every day. You can live Kan’s life by going to justin.tv right now. You can not only watch him 24/7 but you can chat with him and other fans through online iming at the same time, giving him feedback and advice as he goes through his day. So this isn’t just evesdropping, it’s living vicariously through someone else real time. Why is this odd form of voyeurism catching on?

What’s so funny about this is that in reading about this is the June, ‘07, Wired magazine, I decided to see what Kan was up to. So, I clicked on his website and started watching him as he got up this morning at 7:17 am. I watched as he got dressed, drank a glass of water, checked his to-dos at his desk and is now on the street catching a cab ride somewhere in San Francisco. I am actually watching him now as I write this article.

According to Wikipedia (yes, he’s already in Wikipedia and he launched in March), Kan wears a cap, on which is attached a camera and microphone. These are connected to a computer in a backpack he wears, powered by a lithium-ion battery pack that lasts approximately eight hours. While Justin.tv claims to be live 24/7 the stream frequently goes down. It actually went down a couple of times while I was watching. You just have to refresh often. Kan takes off the camera at night, switching to a camcorder on a tripod.

What is interesting about this human experiment is that Kan’s appeal is not talent or physical appearance because you never see him since the camera is rarely turned on him, but what you get to do is participate in is his life. As the media has gone interactive, and Kan is destined for stardom, his celebrity is participatory. In other words, you can participate in the unfolding of his stardom. And, not only can you participate, you can assist him and advise him. The allure of this new type of reality programming is that it allows you to participate in Kan’s and our culture’s anxieties, needs and desires. Ahhh…the internet has it all.

However, as always, someone is out there trying to figure out how to “game” the system or prank someone. According to Wikipedia, Justin.tv has been the subject of many pranks. This is due to the fact that it has openly released its call-in number. That being the case, a user was able to spoof the caller ID on phone calls, using an IP Relay service, so a user called the San Francisco Police Department and called in a false report about a stabbing in the apartment. Due to the call, hundreds of viewers got to witness two police officers entering the apartment live, just minutes later. Then, having been inspired by the previous prankster, someone reported a fire at the apartment the next day and six firetrucks immediately responded. As a result, “the San Francisco emergency services have since put Justin.tv’s number on a list which requires a confirmation call before responding to any emergencies”.[5] Kan has gotten wise and changed his number and has not announced the new one publicly.




I have to admit, it is odd following someone around and chatting with others about this someone’s every move. It probably comes the closest to the tradition of sousveillance, i.e. the recording of an activity from the perspective of a participant in the activity. According to Wikipedia, “similar previous projects featuring 24/7 live streaming via the internet included Steve Mann’s Wearable Wireless Webcam (simultaneous video broadcast and reception over the Internet with an EyeTap) in 1994, JenniCam in 1996, DotComGuy in 2000, Collegeboyslive (collegeboyslive.tv) in 1998, Joi Ito’s moblog (description and historical background) in 2002, and Microsoft’s Gordon Bell”.

So, if you feel your life may be boring and uneventful, you can tune in to Kan and see that his life is just as boring and uneventful as yours. However, the difference is you can help him be the star that he is destined to be. So, in effect, you can be his co-star.