Starfish 2/28

Remember when Dr. Roger told us about how this class will change the way we look at the world and we will have a series of spark moments? Well today was that spark moment for me. I can honestly say that today’s discussion scared me in more ways then one. What is happening to our society! We are becoming so obsessed with technology and the world of virtual reality that we are forgetting about the real, physical world we live in. We are losing touch with the people around us and distancing ourselves from reality all together. I am not saying that technology is entirely bad. I rely on the Internet for communication, research and entertainment and I also never go anywhere without my cell phone in hand, but technology is getting to be frighteningly crazy. For example, I heard today in class from a fellow classmate that Nintendo’s Wii is coming out with a virtual remote that you place on your head. The device reads your mind and if you are thinking that the character should turn left it will turn left. I didn’t believe it, so I decided to look it up online. What I found was a head tracking device for the Wii that allows you to feel as if you are in the action. Meaning, when you move your head to turn or look at something in the game, you will feel as if you are actually there.

http://wii.qj.net/Grad-student-creates-Head-Tracking-set-up-with-Wii-remote/pg/49/aid/110256

It was actually fascinating and I have a lot of appreciation for the guy who thought this all up, but why do we as a culture keep wanting everything to be more realistic? We want to actually feel like we are in the game and escape reality. I link this idea to Eco’s theories of reality and fantasy. Eco discusses that in our culture today people favor simulations over reality because reality can be disappointing. Does technology keep advancing to save us from the pain and troubles of real life? Do people really not know how to deal with reality anymore? Perhaps eventually technology will make it so that people don’t even have to deal with reality. This brings me to the most disturbing thing I heard today. The Internet game called second life was discussed in class. This game allows people to create an avatar or character, build a house, meet people, get a job and even go to universities and sit in on a class. Sounds like a fun game, right? The problem is that this has become more than a game to many people involved. It has become an actual second life! Real American money has become involved. Now, people can sit at home and made money selling virtual reality clothing and other merchandise. They can meet other characters and date and even get married. I have this horrifying picture in my head of people quitting their jobs, sitting at home on their computers and “living out their lives.” This is not living! This is not reality! Living life is interacting with real people everyday and building relationships. Real life is having a real job and dealing with real people. Living life is physically walking down the isle of your wedding and having children. These people who seriously live in the online virtual world think that the “second life” they are living is better then their real lives and reality. This is just heartrending.