Mikhail Epstein's definitions
videocracy n. (from Latin video, I see + Latin cratia, from Greek kratos, power, rule; cf. ideocracy) Ð the power of visual images in shaping contemporary societies; the crucial impact of television, cinema, internet, and advertising on public opinion, political affairs, market strategies, etc.
by Mikhail Epstein November 14, 2003
Get the videocracy mug.defriend smbd v , transitive de + friend; cf. befriend - to break off friendly relations (with smbd).
He defriended me a year after we met, with no reason or explanation. He just stopped calling, period.
I want to defriend you. Ð What's wrong? - I need something more than friendship from you. I need love.
I want to defriend you. Ð What's wrong? - I need something more than friendship from you. I need love.
by Mikhail Epstein November 2, 2003
Get the defriend mug.abbreviation for Electronically Generated Groups, such as smart mobs
or bookcrossing communities, that use the web to ferment their social
bonds in real space and time.
or bookcrossing communities, that use the web to ferment their social
bonds in real space and time.
These EGGs are indeed the eggs of new, trans-electronic sociality.
Do you participate in any EGG? - Yes, I am a seasoned egger.
Do you participate in any EGG? - Yes, I am a seasoned egger.
by Mikhail Epstein October 2, 2003
Get the EGG mug.to be ahead in a certain skill or profession, to be on a cutting edge and take all the risks of being the first and leading the others
by Mikhail Epstein November 6, 2003
Get the ride the edge mug.foodnik n food + suffix nik Ð someone for whom food and eating are main joys of living and are full of sacral significance.
He invites me to cook together a dinner, but I will hardly meet his expectations. He is a real foodnik.
by Mikhail Epstein November 6, 2003
Get the foodnik mug.multividual n Latin multus, many + Latin individuus, indivisible Ð a multiple individual that embraces many selves and in a technological perspective can possess multiple bodies.
As early as 1970s, psychologists indicated the emergence of a proteic type of personality who combines the properties of different individuals. This is not a schizophrenically split personality, but the one rich in roles and selves, a multividual who cannot be confined to a single self.
The multiplicity of selves often reveals itself in the acts of inspiration and artistic creativity. Eventually these multiple selves will acquire not only symbolical and imaginative embodiments, like in theater, but also independent bodies. Like a bio-species is exemplified by a multiplicity of individuals, a multividual will become a psycho-species exemplified by various organisms. Such multividuals will reach across continents assuming various material guises and performing various social and professional roles, and simultaneously they will be aware of their unique destiny and moral responsibility.
The multiplicity of selves often reveals itself in the acts of inspiration and artistic creativity. Eventually these multiple selves will acquire not only symbolical and imaginative embodiments, like in theater, but also independent bodies. Like a bio-species is exemplified by a multiplicity of individuals, a multividual will become a psycho-species exemplified by various organisms. Such multividuals will reach across continents assuming various material guises and performing various social and professional roles, and simultaneously they will be aware of their unique destiny and moral responsibility.
by Mikhail Epstein November 6, 2003
Get the multividual mug.netscapist (net + escapism) - a person who escapes from unpleasant realities into the networld (see netscapism).
Netscapists are ubiquitous today. If you chat with a neighbor for hours from your computer instead of seeing him in a cafe, you are in danger of becoming a netscapist.
by Mikhail Epstein November 7, 2003
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