1. Social Issues 7 April 2008

2. Changes  Schedule changes  Grading rubric

3. Social Issues  Culture of simulation  Problems of overuse (Internet addiction)  Social networks

4. Culture of Simulation  Sherry Turkle, “cybershrink” Sherry Turkle 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?

5. Simulations in Physical Space  Shopping mall: simulation of main street Streets of Southpoint!  Neighborhood developments? 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 USAMain Street  The reality The reality

6. And more specialized –Military Army simulations War games, simulations, exercises –Medical Center for Medical Simulations

7. Simulations in Cyberspace  Games  Training: flight simulator  Medical: Virtual humanVirtual human  Social networks  Chat rooms  Multi-player online environments  Instant messaging  Why are these simulations?

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

9. 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

10. 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  discussion discussion

11. Psychologically Speaking…  Desensitization  Psychological distancing  In real life: War: Cold Evil (pilot’s dilemma)Cold Evil Enron?

12. Impacts in Cyberspace  Stalking, teasing, …  Rape in Cyberspace (1998) Rape in Cyberspace  And now crossing into the real world Internet hunting Click Click you're dead  Returning to more ordinary examples…

13. Communications  How did early man communicate?  Progression of tools  What seems more personal? More real?  “Immersive simulations of real life social communication” “Immersive simulations of real life social communication”  “global classrooms” “global classrooms”

14. 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 How would perception of reasonable ways to communicate differ over the years: phone (1930s) Internet (1996) today

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

16. How humans react to simulations….  Aibo vs. real dog Aibo vs. real dog  KISMET! KISMET What does the Uncanny Valley refer to? –The Undead Zone…The Undead Zone… –Crossing the valleyCrossing the valley

17. Meeting people online  Facebook, Myspace, blogs, chats  Dodgeball.com Dodgeball.com

18. Virtual World Assignment  Zwinky Zwinky