“I Post, Therefore I Am: Individuality and Internet [VIDEO]” (2023-2024)

I had always dreaded essays, but this five minute video essay, the first major assignment of my college career, terrified me in a whole new way. I approached it as I did with most projects: with a stubborn commitment to ‘getting it right.’ This meant a firm and straightforward critique on the expansive, elusive Internet and the work of Adrien Piper, an artist I had only begun to research and understand. But in conversations with my professor, peers, and a faculty consultant at the Writing Center, I learned to move away from my instinct toward deductive thinking and clear-cut comparisons. Two days before I needed to finish, I made the decision to scrap most of what I had written. Instead of dismissing my initial misguided journey, I chose to examine it closely, influenced by my personal experiences with the Internet and art. I aim to carry this lesson with me, embracing open-ended inquiry in my future projects. More than this, I’ve learned to embrace the fun in essay writing. In preparation for recording the audio track, I practiced speaking it aloud, rewriting the script until it fit my voice and personality. I wanted to do justice to Jia Tolentino’s essay and Adrien Piper’s conceptual artwork, which both entrance and delight, so I added moments that made me lean forward or laugh, abandoning perfect syntax to try to thaw the ice and draw the viewer in. I hoped to take the viewer on a journey not unlike the one I took to write it. I feel confident, now, in my ability to continue exploring the boundaries of essay writing and incorporating elements of fun and introspection in my work.

Kai Tomizawa studies film and television production at the Tisch School of the Arts and plans to write and direct strange little stories centering queer and POC joy. Their work has been recognized by YoungArts, All-American High School Film Fest, and NFFTY, among others. Outside of filmmaking, Kai enjoys rock climbing, belting Britney Spears, and listening to poetry podcasts. Kai’s essay explores the complexities of self-representation, the interplay between public and personal identities, and the unsettling yet empowering nature of cataloging and displaying one’s existence.