ID#01 - I’m not a cat

Context: I’m creating a talk on identity. I’m building the story by sharing small snippets. Eventually, I will make one keynote story.

The Zoom Cat Lawyer

February 2021, one year into the global pandemic, with frequent lockdowns across many countries. Many of us had to work remotely, using video conferencing tools. One year into work-from-home, we still struggled with technology.

A public court case in Texas was live streamed via Zoom. Attorney Rod Ponton joined the call using the computer of his assistant. When he was admitted, a filter of a kitten covered his face in the video overview. A bizarre conversation took place.

Attorney: “I’m here live. I’m not a cat.”

(pause…) Judge: “I can… I can see that.”

We all had a well-deserved laugh with this harmless video. In the context of a court case, the kitten filter is pure comedy. The voice of the attorney, who is struggling to remove the filter, is hilarious. Apparently, after this small incident, the meeting took place in a normal way.

Are video conferencing platforms virtual worlds?

We engage in online conference platforms. They look different from gaming worlds, as we use photorealistic video streams. But I don’t really see you. I see an audiovisual capture, sent through a data connection and processed by a web platform. Online, you and I are made out 0’s and 1’s.

We blur our backgrounds, replace them with images of offices or beaches and add some digital make-up to improve our look. These past years, we are actually meeting in a metaverse. Maybe all video platforms together form a multiverse?

This funny cat video made me laugh. But also made me think: what is identity? Is it linked to our appearance in the physical world? Or does identity go beyond? Is it a construct and who contributes to it? But mainly: as large parts of our lives & interactions are digitized, how does this impact our identities? So many ideas to explore.

Some other thoughts linked to this video, in a very short form:

• The attorney says: I’m not a cat. The judge says: I can see that. Erm… No. The judge hears a voice and sees an animated cat filter. What makes the judge believe this participant is not a cat? Would it be possible this participant actually was a cat? Or an algorithm?
• Imagine the judge saw a video of the attorney in his office, instead of a cat: can he trust this actually is the attorney? How do you verify the identity of a person over an online video? Can you trust audio & video? Could it be someone else?
• What if the attorney had said: I am a cat. I identify as a cat. Please refer to me as a cat. What if people identify themselves online differently from what they look like in the tangible world? Is identity mine to define or yours to label?
• The cat filter software seemed to be ‘old’ technology. We’ve been using filters on photos and videos for a decade. What is the relationship between the filters we use digitally and how we shape our physical appearance? (for example plastic surgery)?

Some quick links

• Orginal Twitter post
• Original Youtube stream
• Interview with the attorney
• Zoom Cat Lawyer on wikipedia
• NY Times article on Zoom Kitten
• BBC on the on the cat software
• 1993 dog meme
• Giphy!
• Stickers!

I’m eager to learn from you. What are your ideas on identity? What inspired you: events, books, technology, services, … ? What do you think I should look into?