Olivia McKayla Ross uses computers to take control

background.jpg, Olivia Ross

How do you visualize the wide-open internet?

For some reason, I can't get away from this image of waves. When I first found out how WiFi routers work, I found it really poetic. We're so used to stuff on the internet happening really fast, without a visible explanation, that we forget that it's actually a physical medium. The chain of events that brings one person’s information to somebody else's computer is a point of physical connection. So it makes me think of these waves, flowing between connection, disconnection, and reconnection.

www.oliviaoliviaolivia.com, Olivia Ross

What do you think makes a really good website?

Having good accessibility is kind of the bare minimum for a website, and so many don’t focus on this. I don't know how possible it would be for someone who is dyslexic, or someone who has low or no vision, to use my website, for example. It was based on a template that mimics a computer desktop. Using a template took the pressure off trying to come up with a cool design for my page, because I could just use my actual desktop as a reference—but in 2021, I might strip my site down to something more simple and legible.

I’m also really impressed when someone’s website loads quickly, and doesn’t use a lot of resources—but is still cool. I think my current website is a bit heavy.

What first drew you into using the internet and digital tech?

When I was younger, I really liked this Japanese animation show called Digimon. It featured this redhead kid who everyone recognized as the techie character. He had a little orange computer that was really cute. When stuff went wrong, he would be like, "All right, tap, tap, I'll fix it." The show was set in cyberspace, where there were all these digital monsters. Even though he wasn't the leader, he was instrumental in keeping all the kids safe—so he was kind of a second hero of the show.

I’ve always wanted to be useful. As a kid, computer stuff became a hobby for me, probably because I’m a control freak. I liked being able to tell computers what to do, and know they'd listen. It was definitely a power thing. That's why I gravitate towards using digital technologies for artistic purposes, too: Because it's a nice feeling when you learn how to control something. I'm not a junkie, I don't chase that. I just like to make cool things, and because of the amount of time that I’ve spent learning programming, it’s the best skill that I have to make what I want to make.

What's your earliest memory of being online?

I think it’s actually of browsing wikiHow. As a kid, I would just surf it and read things like, “How to remove your foot from a bear trap,” and other important things that every person should know how to do. [Laughs] There was this really interesting section with articles about how to transform yourself into a character from a TV show. I remember one in particular about how to turn into Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter. It was like, “Get a bunch of chunky earrings, stand outside with weather-inappropriate clothes on, and talk super softly. Always act really confused, but also as though you have this otherworldly sense of knowing.”

There was another one that was on how to be a mermaid, with a step that was like, “Pretend to be really nervous around public pools. When people ask you to swim with them, be dodgy.”

How has your relationship with the internet evolved during the pandemic?

I definitely spent more time online in 2020 than ever before, which is a feat because I was spending a lot of time online already. But I think I've also been spending my time more intentionally, which has been interesting to notice. These days it feels like when I go to my computer, I'm going to do something specific, versus logging on just because my computer has become a site where things happen.

the_wizard.png, Olivia Ross

Where do you see the most possibility and promise online right now?

Even though social media has its issues, I do think places like that—where people are able to gather—carry the most potential. It'd be nice if we could have healthier spaces to come together, but overall, I do think that gathering online is good.

www.seekingmavisbeacon.com, Olivia Ross

What's your favorite project that you've been working on lately?

Is part of the filming process about actually trying to find the model behind Mavis Beacon?

We're in the process of trying to find her, yes. It's been interesting. I’m the associate producer, but also both Jasmine and I are in the film as the people weaving the narrative together as we go on this search to find this model who hasn't been seen in 26 years.

It's a very odd situation, because all these newspaper articles talk about how the game developers met this model at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. She was a Haitian woman. As we keep researching, we keep finding weird story conflicts whenever this model is talked about. And there’s no information about her online, besides what the game developers have said about her. Also, you don't really see any pictures of her besides the three from that one photoshoot.

At this point, no one's been able to speak to or find this woman in 26 years. So it’s this mystery of, “How come no one's ever been able to get in contact with her, aside from the people who made the game?”

So how are you trying to find her? What’s that process like?

We've been going to some of the last places she was seen. We were in San Francisco for a little bit, and then eventually we'll also be going to LA, but not until COVID calms down there. We might find ourselves in Haiti eventually, because the developers keep saying that she moved up to the Caribbean, which also sounds like a hand-waving thing that you can just say if you don't know where someone really is. Or, if you really don't want to be found, you could totally go to Haiti and disappear off the grid. That's totally possible. So we're hoping that's how it is, and that she's chilling and has a few grandkids and is just like, "Oh, that video game was fun."

Yes, I hope there’s nothing sinister going on!

I hope so too.

Is there a piece of advice you’ve found useful that you’d like to pass on?

One of the things that was my motto in 2020—and something that I'm trying to hold onto in 2021, because it’s been really game-changing for me—is saying no to goal setting. Instead, I just make plans for things I'm going to do. I realized that having goals turned things that I wanted to do into “someday” ideas, instead of action plans for what I'm doing now. It's too easy to just be like, “Yeah, that's a goal of mine,” but then never do it.

In 2020 I was like, “No more goals, I'm doing what I love all the time.” That was really freeing, because so often I would be like, “I really wish I could do this.” Now when I aspire to do something, I’m like, “Looks like I'm going to have to start working on this right now.” This approach has definitely helped me stay connected to my desires. I'm a Virgo, so my self-esteem dips if I haven't engaged in a new self-improvement pursuit in a while. [Laughs]

🪟PORTALS🪟

If you could only access one website from now on, which one would it be?

What’s a piece of software or an app that most people probably don’t know about, but that you use all the time?

An astrology app called Time Nomad. It’s a really nerdy way to check your astrological data.

Here’s a handy resource for evaluating any website’s accessibility!

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