Social Issues 30 October

Class Schedule  Current schedule Current schedule  Proposed change: no speaker replays Available on net  Instead November 6: Work session for teams November 15: lecture OR spread out the presentations so only 3 per day Final write-up due December 4

Project reminders: Paper  Length is 8-10 pages. 10 pages is hard maximum  Review paper guidelinesguidelines  I will give content feedback before presentations

Project reminders: Presentations  Schedule Schedule  Review guidelinesguidelines  Rehearsals – Schedule individually In SN 011: evenings or weekends In my office: more flexible  Room will be available morning before class

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Social Issues  Culture of simulation  Internet addiction

Culture of Simulation  Sherry Turkle, “cybershrink” MIT initiative on technology and self Seminal work on people and technology 1996 interview readinginterview  Questions What about the Internet has changed since 1996? What is a simulation?

Simulations  Physical world examples?  Shopping mall: simulation of main street Streets of Southpoint!  Training devices  Television locations Cheers … and bars that are simulations of the simulation  Zoos and theme parks Busch Gardens Disney’s Main Street USA World fairs

Simulations in Cyberspace  Games  Simulators (flight simulator)  Social networks  Chat rooms  Multi-player online environments  Instant messaging  Why are these simulations?

Define “Simulation” The imitative representation of functioning of one system by means of the functioning of another What variables are important?

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 (Ray Bradbury) The Veldt

Simulations in Cyberspace  With your own persona: Create communities and societies  Example: local politics bloglocal politics blog Communication with friends  Are these really “you”?  Do you have different persona? In “real life”? In cyberspace?  Is cyberspace “real”?

Meeting people online  Facebook, Myspace, blogs, chats  Dodgeball.com Dodgeball.com  Familiar Stranger: JabberwockyJabberwocky  Japanese matchmaking: LovegetyLovegety