COMP 381

Inflection Points in History PositivesNegatives  privacy  family  quality of life  survival  expanding human reach  expanding knowledge  expanding economy  democratization  privacy invasion  disintegration of family  health  pollution  danger / misuse  misinformation  work abuse

POSITIVES PrivacyFamily  Mostly negative  Easy to track people  Façade: Can use screen name to avoid publicly asking False sense of security Feel like they can say anything  Reconnecting over long distance Facebook Ancestry.com  Security  Bring family together over entertainment Wii DVR

POSITIVES Quality of lifeSurvival  Easier Cameras Share/preserve photos Communication ( ) Access to knowledge Shopping GPS  Medical digitalization  Medical intervention  Cell phone to call for help

POSITIVES Expanding human reachExpanding knowledge  Communicate with other people Facebook Internet Cell phones  Transportation  Exploration Underwater Space  Availability of information  Searching  Sharing  Learning

POSITIVES Expanding economyDemocratization  Online shopping  Faster business communication Trade Banking  International projects  Mom and pop shops can advertise  Government transparency  Wikileaks  Voting

Is Cyberspace Real?  Are we creating an artificial distinction?  When do distinctions matter? Worker vs. teleworker Conference vs. teleconference vs. virtual world conference? Others?

Manifestations  Speed of life  Communications  Desensitization  Expectations

Speed of Life  Crazy Busy: we are all driven to do more and do it faster Crazy Busy  Signs?  Is this technology’s fault?  Other contributing factors?

How communications has changed We build our ideas about what is real and what is natural with the cultural materials available. high school student, 1996 Perception of reasonable ways to communicate: 1930s: phone 1996: Internet 2001: End of pay phone era today: Changes in the last 5 years?

Desensitization  Television  Movies  Rap songs  Violence in games Violence in games  Internet hunting Internet hunting  Modern warfare

The Technosphere Without much awareness or comment on our part, the technological- technocratic system has usurped the natural and social milieus to become the primary environment in which we live. Andrew Kimbrell Cold Evil Technology is a way of organizing the world so that we do not experience it. Max Frisch

Simulations  The imitative representation of functioning of one system by means of the functioning of another  You capture some aspects, but not all: need to decide what is important

Simulations in Physical Space  Shopping mall: simulation of main street Streets of Southpoint!  Neighborhood developments Simulations or reversions? Sustainable village communities  Television locations Cheers … and bars that are simulations of the simulation  Zoos and theme parks: Busch Garden, World fairs Disneyland Main Street USA

Simulations in Cyberspace  Chat rooms  Multi-player online environments  Instant messaging  Military: War games, simulations, exercises Military  Games  Training: flight simulator  Medical: Virtual humanVirtual human  Social networks  Why are these simulations?  How effective are they?

Simulations in Cyberspace  With your own persona: Create communities and societies Communication with friends  But are these really “you”?  Do you have different personas? In “real life”? In cyberspace?

Culture of Simulation  Sherry Turkle, “cybershrink” Seminal work on people and technology Simulation and Its Discontents  What about the Internet has changed since 1996?  Real life vs. virtual life Avatars Transference

What is good about simulations?  Safe place to Learn Experiment  Opportunity to try things that you couldn’t otherwise try Different places and times Expensive facilities Danger

What is bad about simulations?  False sense of capability CPR without real practice Flying an airplane in bad weather  Can spoil the real thing “Disneyland effect” Nature videos or zoos Travelogs The Veldt by Ray Bradbury The Veldt  Impact underestimated Rape in Cyberspace (1998) Rape in Cyberspace

Human reactions  Alleviating loneliness: Aibo vs. real dogAibo vs. real dog  Emotion in robots (KISMET) Emotion in robots  The Uncanny alley The Uncanny alley Crossing the Valley