Connected: An Autobiography About Love, Death & Technology

By: iO Staff, June 18, 2012

Courtesy Tiffany Shlain - Explore how the Internet changes not only communication but also perception in “Connected: An Autobiography About Love, Death and Technology,” screening at Cotuit Center for the Arts on Tuesday, June 19.

Have you ever faked a restroom trip to check your email? Slept with your laptop? Or become so overwhelmed that you just unplugged from it all?

In Connected: An Autoblogography about Love, Death and Technology, director Tiffany Shlain takes audiences on an exhilarating rollercoaster ride to discover what it means to be connected in the 21st century. From founding The Webby Awards to being a passionate advocate for The National Day of Unplugging, Shlain’s love/hate relationship with technology serves as the springboard for a thrilling exploration of modern life… and our interconnected future.

Equal parts documentary and memoir, the film unfolds during a year in which technology and science literally become a matter of life and death for the director. As Shlain’s father battles brain cancer and she confronts a high-risk pregnancy, her very understanding of connection is challenged.

Using a brilliant mix of animation, archival footage, and home movies, Shlain reveals the surprising ties that link us not only to the people we love but also to the world at large. A personal film with universal relevance, Connected explores how, after centuries of declaring our independence, it may be time for us to declare our interdependence instead.

In addition to being a filmmaker, Shlain is the founder of the Webby Awards (honoring excellence on the Internet) and co-founder of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.

Selected by Newsweek as one of the “Women Shaping the 21st century, Connected has won numerous awards and was screened at more than 35 film festivals, including Sundance in 2011.