1. By Annmarie Ciacciarelli and Allie Amato
Telepresence & Ethics
By Annmarie Ciacciarelli and Allie Amato

2. “This chapter is about the promise of telepresence- how telepresence illusions are and may soon be used in nearly all aspects of our lives for good, and the peril of telepresence- the potential for unethical and harmful uses of the power of telepresence illusions in our everyday lives”

3. Defining Telepresence
"A psychological state or subjective perception in which even though part or all of an individual's current experience is generated by and/or filtered through human-made technology, part or all of the individual's perception fails to accurately acknowledge the role of the technology in the experience." - International Society for Presence Research (2000)
“Promise” of Telepresence (In a broad sense,) is to improve every aspect of our lives

4. Dimensions of Telepresence1
Technology as Invisible
Technology as “living” social entity
"realistic" virtual environment, one that corresponds perceptually and socially to our non mediated experiences
the technology (e.g., a computer, virtual pet, robot or android) seems to be an independent, "living" social entity.

5. The Promise of Telepresence
Concerning the Topics of...
The Promise of Telepresence
Entertainment
Business
Education
Relationships
Health
(And the peril of telepresence)

6. Entertainment Promise Perils Enriches our lives
IMAX technology; puts you “there”
CGI; creates the illusion of presence
Wii/Kinect; interactivity with peripheral devices
AR; enhances ordinary objects with superimposed imagery
Just because we can doesn’t mean we should
Reproduction of non-mediated experiences; amplify traditional dangers and create new ones
Allow problematic usage
Autotune; blurs the lines of reality
“Mind Control”

7. Business Promise Perils Benefits to advertisers and consumers
Cisco TelePresence Meeting Solution; saves energy and costs of travel
Google Earth; altered tourism industry and how we “visit” places
Architectural tools; closer to accurate mock-ups
Takes society some steps backward
Cisco Virtual meetings; lose subtle social cues, important in business
New media literacy; must reteach ourselves in the new world of advertising

8. Education Promise Perils We as humans learn by doing
Virtual learning environments; connect classrooms
Simulator tools; train without risk (firefighters, military combat, surgery)
The Immersive Education Initiative; increasingly common and critical
Is information technology truly unlimited?
Inaccurate representations and information; unrealistic options like “reset” or “repeat”
High Presence Military games; could desensitize “player” in real combat

9. Relationships Promise Perils We can create new forms of connection
Video chat; bring us closer in touch from far away
Presence Frames/Slumber light; subtle cues of presence
Nintendogs/Furby; virtual pets we might otherwise not be able to have
We must think about the “social ramifications that accompany the allowed uses of such technologies.”
Dystopian views; not much research but worth consideration
Artificial “comfort”; potentially stunt natural human development

10. Health Promise Perils Lightening the burden of healthcare
Virtual reality enhanced work-out machines; encourage exercise
Telerobotic technology; provides presence of a specialized doctor
Virtual installations; provide relief during treatment
Taking care of our health dominates our lives
Artificial caretakers; helpful for elderly but potentially confusing for them
Sophisticated prostheses/neurotheses; provide MORE than typical human experience

11. Fictional Example - Black Mirror