In our media saturated society, new forms of interaction develop at an alarming rate. In the span of a decade, an entirely new source of information, known as the web, has exploded as an integral part of our culture. With the emergence of new forms of media, new forms of social interaction and vocabularies have become integrated into the social consciousness. In the context of new media, it is possible that an ersatz intimacy could develop between people through emerging forms of communication. With the limitless availability of information as well as the commodification of celebrity, one may find themselves emotionally invested in a relationship with a person whom they have never met.

In Jillian Mcdonald's project, "Me and Billy Bob," she is interested in the idea of "misplaced intimacy" and its manifestation in our heavily mediated society. She explored the concept in her project and takes the viewer on a journey of unrequited love between herself and the object of her crush, the actor Billy Bob Thornton. Through the use of text, still images, video, and a soundtrack, the viewer becomes surrounded by the artist's "crush" and emotionally involved in the installation.

"The idea for "Me and Billy Bob" came when I saw 'Bandits' on an in-flight television monitor while flying to San Francisco. That is where the 'crush' began and I became very interested in the idea of falling in love with someone who is unattainable," Mcdonald states. The subject of Mcdonald's crush becomes a visual love story, acted out clandestinely by Mcdonald and Billy Bob Thornton who, through digital manipulation, appears to be physically within the same space and time as the artist. By manipulating footage of the actor from his films, Mcdonald has been able to place herself within the same visual environment as the actor to create new meaning out of familiar media.

"I have become particularly interested in inserting my own identity into familiar scenes from popular films. In doing so, I create something new from something familiar, as my own acting and scene selection chances the meaning of the original footage." The result is a moving cinematic love story between the actor and artist. By editing existing footage, the viewer becomes privy to an entirely new narrative. The crush becomes visualised onscreen for the viewer. This integration of visual art, cinema, performance, installation, music, and net art culminate in a multi-sensory experience for the viewer.

Upon entering MeandBillyBob.com, the viewer can immediately recognize the familiar format of the Mac desktop, inviting the viewer to take the role of voyeur viewing something personal, as if they have gained access to another's desktop with its own personalised wallpaper. Mcdonald explains that she has designed the layout of her piece in reference to the idea of "wallpaper."

"I was thinking about fans, particularly in my teenage days, who wallpapered their walls with fan posters. Surrounding themselves with the image of the object of their desire, they were simultaneously subsumed, protected, and overwhelmed." Mcdonald has taken this double meaning of wallpaper and used it to create an emotional response in the viewer, through familiarity, which mirrors her own personal experience. The idea of wallpaper as an expression of individuality and personal feelings and experiences, whether it be through the context of a computer desktop or the context of one's bedroom has been utilised to invite the viewer into a familiar yet deeply personal experience of a crush.

"I wanted the viewer to feel surrounded by my crush. In installation, the sentimental music and images loop and surround the viewer in a similar way."

The viewer is directed toward an index of "chapters," each title an corresponding to a brief glimpse into the cinematic love story between Mcdonald and Thornton. These flash movies were created by Mcdonald digitally inserting herself into the clips featuring Thornton, replacing herself as the object of Billy Bob's desire. By seamlessly inserting herself into the scene, she lets the viewer becomes privy to an intimate and doomed affair between the actor and the artist. Despite all Mcdonald's efforts and attempts at intimacy with her unattainable crush, the love can never be consummate and the artist is left looking saddened and alone. The endless loop of Thornton's duet, "Starlight Lounge," provides the soundtrack to the cinematic experience. The entire project has an element of humour that cannot be overshadowed by the inevitable heartbreak and lack of intimacy. It is difficult not to imagine a random visitor coming across Mcdonald's project on the web and seeing a fan's devotion to Billy Bob Thornton manifest itself in the labour necessary to actually digitally insert oneself into existing visual media. It would come across as humorous and sad at the same time should the viewer not be aware of the site's artistic intentions, the ambiguity of the site's intentions creates a mystery and inspires the question, "Is this for real?"