Hey, stranger, may you phone me? --- by Meng Li @ itp

Hey Stranger, May I Phone You?

• Chicago, the city my friend was moving to last summer.

• Seattle, where I was interning last summer.

One day, I got a phone call from her, asking me to turn on the computer, and google where she was and directed her to get to her destination. I did that and operated her to get to her destination by phone. operator

• Is that normal? I mean it’s chicago. It’s not in the middle of nowhere. there are so many people…

Why me? But not to ask a person close by? a stranger?

--“Because

• I know you– Safe– Trust– Fast and direct– walkin & talkin, accompany– Cheap phone, and you have internet… “

Wait a sec, then you mean :

A person close by physically… are

– NOT Safe?– NOT Trustable? – NOT Fast and direct?– CAN’T walkin & talkin ?

• Yes, some strangers are bad .

• in real world, there’s no “M” to identify strangers. identifying and cataloging people is harder and harder.

• What’s the dynamics between strangers? – Paranoid – Being cool– the fine line?

• Strangers do talk a lot online. • Strangers do talk in Hutong, a kind of street in

Beijing, another culture. (public character) • How about face to face on street in

Manhattan?• How about in phone? • I DON’T KNOW.

• Is talking to strangers difficult? • How strong is the social norm: “avoiding

interaction, even just eye contact between strangers”? In this culture.

• What if break the norm? how tolerant can people in Manhattan be to accept such breach experiment? How ‘s their reaction? What’s the fine line?

• Then I started approaching to strangers to ask them questions:

• Excuse me, can you tell me how I can get to the A train station nearby?

Can you draw a map for me?

– Reactions: • No one rejected me.

Can you give me your name?

– Reactions:• Sign my name? no • Hehehehe (shaking head)

Can you leave your phone number? (can I call you?)

• -I don’t have a phone number• -no. (hehehehehe) I’m sure you can find it… find

other people…• -hmmm, what’s your name? • - I’m going to take the train, so you may not find

me. • -you’ll find it. • -I could give you my card… • -no. … it’s not allowed.

• Those are the drawings, their signatures and phone numbers. (for privacy concern, I covered those personal info)

• I got another phone number from a stranger on broadway & houston.

• Yes, I did call him. (When I walked till canel & lafayette, I dialed his phone number)

• “I don’t know how to get to allen & canel…” • “now I have your number, let me get back to my computer, then I’ll call

you in 3 minutes” • After 3 minutes, he called me back “…”

• I met a stranger in washington square park, who lead me to my destination and talked a lot along the way.

• Then I changed my question:

• Excuse me, can I walk along with you together?

• Bridge, without crossroads, no chance to turn, perfect place to ask this question.

• Then I changed my question: • Excuse me, can I walk along with you together?– face to face conversation with 3 strangers, in different topics.

• How much can people give off their personal information to a stranger?

• How do people say “no” to a stranger?• The little negotiation between strangers before giving off private

and personal info.• The trust between the operators and myself.• How long can the conversation between two strangers keep

engaging?• How much can one learn about the stranger and construct the

identity of each other? • “no meaningful conversation could happen between strangers” as

kio mentioned ??• -Not strange, but never happened before.

Concepts:

Stranger to go with you along your trip: I provide a moderation phone line at the entrance of the bridge, bus stop, and the crossroad, you can dial when you want a conversation with a stranger to accompany your trip, who happens to be on his/her way commuting.

The conversation will be cataloged according to the topics, location and commuting time. So people with similar commuting time could talk during the trip. Either taking the bus, or walking.

• Stranger as an operator: you need commands from a stranger who happens to pass by the phone and pick up the phone. He/she will decide whether will help you find out the code around that location to operate your task. You will need to decide whether to trust him/her. You’ll share the prize with him/her.

• Stranger portrait artist: instead of sketching according to the appearance of the stranger, I want to do the sketch of his/her identity. See how much I can construct around the stranger’s identity by conversation. (personal)