Shlain
Tiffany Shlain
ON CONNECTEDNESS
Living interdependently has the power to invoke change. It is time that we lose our singularity and connect our thoughts and ideas to improve lives. Working together has the potential to create a ripple effect, and spark a global call to action. As a filmmaker, I enjoy investigating what it means to be "connected" in the 21st century. I look at this both in terms of what potential it has to enhance our lives personally, and what we need to be mindful of as we connect globally. The selections from the IMOW archives I chose show how living in and looking at the worldinterdependently can not only improve the world, but also improve our individual lives.
Women absolutely provide a different perspective on our world. The artists who created the stories I chose portray the significance of women in society, as seen through multiple platforms that show empowering women is of utmost importance. If more people empowered women as described in these selections, the ripple effect could change the world for the better.
As an artist, mother, wife, sister, daughter and member of our global society, I can see the need for a world that focuses not on what separates us, but what connects us.Learn more about Tiffany Shlain>>
CURATOR SELECTIONS
Traveling PostcardsThis project from Caroline Lovell provides a vehicle for connections between women, while also serving to foster the creativity and insight women have to offer to the world. Communication is fundamental to progress, and this campaign is a lovely idea that shows that each woman has a story worth communicating. |
Ring The BellThis campaign from the nonprofit Breathrough aims to inspire social change, while urging people to act in this moment to end domestic violence rather than pretend nothing is happening. Acting NOW will make a difference. |
Of Voyages And Broken BordersThis essay from Elda Stanco hammers home the point that if we stop seeing ourselves as separate nationalities, and instead see ourselves as globally connected, we as a species can better acknowledge and understand the global problems that face our world. This issue is so important. We have to act as one world, not as segregated forces. |
The Solidarity Quilt: Women Stitch Visions For A New WorldThe Women’s Solidarity Quilt shows the importance of working together to ignite a change. This quilt shows the dreams of women from across the globe. Change is hopes transformed into reality. |
Egypt: We Are Watching YouThis video series shows how technology can truly be used for good. When these three Egyptian women decided to promote democracy through the Internet, they allowed for connections to be made across a nation. |
Singing For ChangeLove this inspiring film about women coming together to call for a change to outdated Algerian family laws that oppress women. A new short film I am working on “A Declaration of Interdependence” is similar in format in which we have multiple people call for a change to be made. |
Human Rights And The New EconomyIn a time of crisis we can either choose to sink further backwards, or we can chose to have the crisis propel us into change. This essay by the former President of Ireland shows how crisis can lead to great changes in human rights. |
Digital Livelihoods For The World’s WomenUsing technology, the company Samasource teaches women in underdeveloped countries a skill that gives them economic sustainability. This is an example of a company that reaches out, and proves that women are equal in value. |
Women's Empowerment Collection: Social And Economic Change On FilmLove the idea of using film to spark a greater conversation. In many of my films I use discussion kits, like the of lesson plans and activities that go along with these films, to continue the message of the film and connect viewers together. |
Capital Of HopeThese beautiful photographs are part of a series that show how microloans given to women in Ghana improve their daily lives. A microloan enables them to start a business. Through the work of one company many women gain confidence. Confidence and having moxie is how I approach my aspirations. They are vital ingredients in achieving your dreams. |
ABOUT TIFFANY SHLAIN
Honored by Newsweek as one of the “Women Shaping the 21st Century,” Tiffany Shlain is a filmmaker, founder of The Webby Awards and co-founder of the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences. Tiffany’s work as a filmmaker, technologist and activist have received 44 awards, and her last four films premiered at Sundance. She is known for her groundbreaking work using documentaries and new technologies to make social change. Her award-winning new feature documentary Connected: An Autoblogography about Love, Death & Technology is currently playing in select theaters around the country. To find a city near you where you can see the film, join the Facebook page. A celebrated thinker and speaker, she has advised Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is on the advisory board of M.I.T.'s Geospatial Lab, and presented the 2010 campus-wide Commencement Address at University of California, Berkeley. Learn more about Connected here or on Facebook, or find Tiffany on her website or on Twitter@tiffanyshlain.
GET TO KNOW Tiffany Shlain
Learn more about Tiffany Shlain and why she's involved in IMOW's Curating Change .
- A Mantra to Live by is… "Whatever you think or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."--Goethe
- I Exhibit Change by… unplugging from all technology once a week. I didn't think I could do it, but since I started with my family six months ago, I can't imagine not having that one beautiful uninterrupted day with my family and my own thoughts, no technology to pull me away.
- A woman that I admire is… my mother. She went back to school and got her PhD when I was 8. It is terrific to watch her do a job she loves. She has always inspired me.
TAKE ACTION
Learn which causes and organizations matter most to Tiffany Shlain and how you can connect with them.
THE HOPE PHONES CAMPAIGN
The Hope Phones campaign speaks to so many things I care about: interdependence, empowering people with technology, recycling...and making the world's knowledge accessible to all. The Hope Phones campaign gives old mobiles new life on the front lines of global healthcare. Half a million phones are discarded in the United States every day, polluting our environment. But these phones can have a greater value. Through responsible recycling initiatives, we fund Medic Mobile’s healthcare projects and connect communities worldwide.
826 VALENCIA
826 Valencia is a nonprofit organization in the US dedicated to supporting students ages six to eighteen with their writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. I love the education and support 826 offers to the youth today in finding their voice and reaffirming that their voice matters.
IMOW
We need to recognize all the voices and perspectives in the world. For too long, only men were represented. I remember when I was studying film history at UC Berkeley, only men were highlighted in the books. I had to dig very deep to find pioneering women filmmakers—and by the way, I found them! IMOW ensures that women from around the world are highlighted. I love that!