I was raised by a technophobe of a father with a love for old film – and as a result have a robust respect for immersing one’s self totally in a film. Whilst I myself am of course guilty of absentmindedly reaching for my phone amidst a movie – Thursday’s class was quite a difference experience.

Sitting in on a screening of Gojira, soundscape from around the room was a rather curious one; it is said that the sounds of the monster were made by scraping a leather glove, covered in resin along the strings of a double bass. Even more curious was the complementary sound of twenty five keyboards tapping away around the room – the cogs and gears of the class, each individual trying to think up an even funnier meme then the last one.

With a task as mentally stimulating as this it was admittedly difficult to concentrate on the film – making the watching more like a passive viewing party. The first thought I had was how this activity rang true to our generation; the multitasking millennials in full swing.

The year is 2018. To see someone talking on the phone whilst checking their emails with the news rambling in the background is not an uncommon sight. One can definitely argue that live tweeting definitely has a place – along a ticker tape at the bottom of programmes like Q&A and Insight. The feed provides an important, realtime commentary on current affairs. Because of today’s comparatively larger population, live tweeting does indeed provide a technological alternative to a society’s traditional public forum.
It was interesting to be a part of a live tweeting session – and watching the realtime reactions to the film play out – even if those reactions involved making memes and poking fun at a 1950’s thriller complete with an underlying moral message about the implications of nuclear technology – a film ripe with humor…

But it also harks to a period of technological change – now the act of watching a movie requires not only a screen and popcorn, but also your email inbox and Instagram feed close at hand. But enough of my old man ranting and shaking my fist at the sky  – the movie was good.