Set during the “dot-com bubble” of the late nineties, this dynamite documentary follows innovator Josh Harris as he comes to prominence with the creation of Pseudo.com, the world’s first online TV network.
Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube may be a part of the world’s vocabulary today, but when the Internet first opened to the public in the 1990’s, few could have predicted how radically it would change our society. One of those few visionaries was Josh Harris, the man behind Internet television and the subject of the dynamite documentary We Live in Public. Set during the “dot-com bubble” of the late 90’s, the film follows Harris as he comes to prominence with the creation of Pseudo.com, the world’s first online TV network.
Harris enjoyed the success of Pseudo, but soon grew bored. He wanted a new challenge and, recognizing the potential of the Internet medium, began to experiment. Harris launched “Quiet: We Live in Public,” a human habitat for one hundred people that offered free booze, endless food, and cameras at every turn—even in the bedroom. Every movement by every person in the home was streaming live on the Internet, as was the activity of Harris and his girlfriend in their New York loft.
Harris is a remarkable, eccentric subject with a brain as big as his ego. Watching his plans come to fruition is nothing short of fascinating, especially once the police get involved. But We Live in Public is far more than a profile of a now-unknown internet pioneer; it’s a meditation on privacy, intimacy, and celebrity in a new age.