Lonelygirl15

http://theinternetispeople.com/2006/09/17/lonelygirl15/

I can’t get over the Lonelygirl15 phenomenon, which particularly over the past week or so has been exploding. We now know that the actress involved is Jessica Rose, and that LG15 is a show related to some kind of Internet service. It’s professionally produced, and needs to be monetised somehow. Some have suggested that Youtube itself is responsible, which isn’t too far out there – for ages there were persistent questions about Youtube’s business model, which were instantly replaced by discussions about the intrigue surrounding a Youtube-hosted drama. Publicity doesn’t come any better.

Whatever the purpose, a compelling story is developing. A reference by Bree in this swimming video to Cassie – “what ever happened to her?” – has led to Cassie turning up as a new videoblogging character, whose first, Ringu-influenced entry is truly creepy and encourages participation from viewers. “Come and get it,” she urges, as she tosses a sack of unknown contents into the same water where Bree was swimming in her video. Another Youtube user went to find it, and found the Judgement tarot card. The story continues to unfold, and it’s clear this isn’t just a teenage soap opera: this is the first drama to truly make use of this medium. I’m completely hooked.

This is probably the last time I’ll write about this, so I’ll leave you with an interview with some of the people involved:

Update: New, equally scary video from Cassie. Safe to say this has turned into an Alternate Reality Game.