In this paper we discuss how hermits lifestyle distinguish from the history and nowadays. The technology evolution causes in some certain situation the process of becoming unconsciously a hermit. The characteristics of these processes and possible solutions are discussed in this paper. The aspects of reduction and deceleration play a key role. In the end some (art)examples proves the increasing demand of reduction and deceleration in our society and urban environment. The paper also points out that the lifestyle of hermits can help to enhance our social and urban environment.

1. Hermits in our digital Age
Lecture: Public Spaces – spring 2010
Florian Weil
University of Art Linz – Master: Interface Culture

2. Agenda
● Hermits
● History
● Nowadays
●
Social Splitting
● Conscious and unconscious decisions
●
Thoughts and ideas
● Related Art Projects and Movements

3. Hermits in history
● Religion based background
●
Spatial based
● Living in hermitages, caves, desert or forest
●
Social based
● They have a solitary lifestyle
● Motivation
● Sometimes misanthropy, refusing the social rules
● Sometimes a life's work (avoid distraction)

6. Hermits nowadays
● Spatial based (not obligatory)
● Living in hermitages, caves, desert or forest
● They can still live in our society
●
Social based
● They refuse the virtual (social) media
● They have a complicated solitary lifestyle (not obligatory)
●
Motivation
● Avoiding to be a part of the acceleration of the society
● Sometimes a life's work (avoid distraction) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9G2vX4CTsc

7. Interview
●
Überleben offline - 3sat neues April, 18th
● http://wstreaming.zdf.de/3sat/veryhigh/100418_sen
● http://www.3sat.de/page/?source=/neues/sendunge
● Interview: 6:20
● Results: distraction, acceleration, focus,
concentration, seperation, organization

8. Social splitting

9. Impacts of splitting
● Conscious decision to be an hermit
● Impacts: no problems
● Unconscious decision to be an hermit
● Social splitting under constraint
● Impacts: conflicts will appear

10. Characteristics of social splitting
● Age-based (temporary)
● Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants
●
Knowledge-based
● Digital Divide situation
● Unfair access infrastructure of communication technology
● Smart people learn much faster than less smart people,
because they are able to use the advantages of the internet.
● Problem: Big knowledge and communication gap between
different societies

11. THOUGHTS

12. Thoughts #1
● No real free choice of media, if you still want to be
a part of the society
● Reminds me on „Zwang des Mediums“ from
Gerhard Maletzke: Feldmodell der Massenmedien
● New media services (like facebook, twitter, youTube,
blogs etc.)
● Disadvantage:delivers us too much information
● Advantage: Best access and infrastructure for
liberalise the human knowledge and communication

13. Thoughts #2
● Acceleration of the society will increase rapidly
● More and more and faster information perception
● Faster transport infrastructure (trains, air planes...)
● Acceleration causes stress → stress kills
creativity and health of humans
● This progresss is a desaster for a creative and knowledge
based society (our society)

14. A try to solve Problems
● Two main approaches for the future
● Reduction (via Filtering) of perception
● Create deceleration infrastructure
Book resource: (Springer Verlag)
Conceptions of the Desirable: What Cities Ought to Know about the Future
● Be inspired from hermits!

15. IDEA - Cocoon
Also Turmeremit Project in Linz
http://www.linz09.at/de/pressefotos/download/1924857.html

16. Concept of the Cocoon
● Strong separation of an environment
● Avoiding any kind of distraction
● Timeless space (deceleration space) for relaxing and
thinking/concentration
● Hermits and the nature create these kinds of seperate
environments
● Possible project for public spaces.
● Cocoons everywhere (in parks, forests, public
transport, etc.)

17. Examples – Artworks & ...

18. Urban Camouflage Movement

19. Urban Camouflage Movement
● http://www.youtube.com/iNspIreNewMedia#p/a/u/0/Pfiywvh_Rls
● http://urbancamouflage.de
● Context: Hiding in an normal environment
● Can give an impression of deceleration in an
accelerate environment

20. Social Media Suicide Machine
● http://suicidemachine.org/
● Context: Finding the exit – Deleting your profiles
● The first step to become a digital hermit

21. Social Bits Newsleak

22. Social Bits Newsleak
● http://socialbits.org/
● Content: Twitter Messages
● General News
● Location based news
● Context: Location based Filtering
● Getting news from the internet society without
being a part of it

23. The End
● Thank you for your attention!
● Any questions?

24. Sources of the pictures
● http://www.flickr.com/photos/floridamemory/3295450246/sizes/o/ → hermit
● http://www.flickr.com/photos/bones_nl/4639651564/sizes/l/ → house
● http://www.flickr.com/photos/tattoodevil/1403449454/sizes/o/ → Generation Conflict
● http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulfloyd/3559266527/sizes/o/ → thoughts
● http://www.flickr.com/photos/15693951@N00/1545029206/sizes/l/ → nature cocoon
● http://www.flickr.com/photos/oliviamiao/142940840/sizes/o/ → cocoon chair