After dedicating myself to tweeting about the films assigned in class, I gained an even broader understanding of the future cultures that may await us. Additionally, I have noticed how the tension of representation between the current state of the world and the future is displayed in these films which can be seen through the course content.
Just like the other weeks of tweeting, I was very busy tweeting to counteract for the movie, but this time, I enjoyed some of the movies with Arrival being a favourite.
The above tweet sparked the conversation of unity and how nations will work within each other in the future culture we will live in, especially in relation to technological advancements. The movie fell under the category of Cyber punk and can clearly be evaluated in that way.
Something that baffled me was the Ready Player One game, and how it relates to escapism. Video games are used as a way to escape from reality, and once you enter the realm of the ‘OASIS’ anything is possible in the open world. This can also be said for the Internet. According to L, Hudson, this has turned the Internet into a nightmare. How anyone can just escape into a different world and engage with technology is something that can been seen within the future culture of the world and how it will operate.
As technology continues to expand, escapism is seen not as a form of being someone else but as an extension of oneself. Technology used to be seen as a way to be anonymous from the world, but this is not the case in today’s world where the ‘digital footprint’ is so vast. Kaspersky indicates that this refers to the trail you leave behind when exploring the Internet. In Ready Player One, the ‘Oasis’ is definitely a depiction of someone’s ‘digital footprint’.
The blockbuster hit Ready Player One is a thought-provoking exploration of the concept of extensions of man, which details how individuals perceive and interact with the world through the lens of technology. The movie sheds light on the notion of technology serving as an escape from reality and enables a deeper understanding of the world. The film masterfully portrays escapism through this lens, showcasing how users can feel a sense of detachment from the real world and instead allow for an interactive virtual experience that stimulates the senses of those playing the game and expands their knowledge of both technology and the real world. This technologically-driven extension of man ultimately presents a distinct contrast between the bleak realities of life and the promising possibilities that technology can offer.
The above two tweets really indicate how the theme of escapism was clearly seen in the movie Ready Player One.
A prevalent theme that is seen in Ready Player One is the concept of cyberspace as a refuge for users seeking an escape from their reality. This notion serves as a consistent testament and reminder to the rapidly expanding landscape of technology and the role it has in shaping the future. The virtual realm of cyberspace is a safe haven where the characters in the movie find peace, away from the harsh realities of the world that they live in. It is an alternate dimension and reality that allows the characters to bypass the limitations of their physical existence and indulge in a world with limitless possibilities. In summary, cyberspace is portrayed as a “virtual safe space” that offers a coping mechanism with dealing with the challenges of the real world that are ever present.
The themes that seem to be depicted in all of the movies together can best be summed up by a quote from Lisa Yaszek who indicated that, “virtual laboratories where we can imagine the best and worst of what technology has to offer.” As I kept watching these films, I keep thinking if technology is aiding in our progress or causing more harm than good for the present and the future.
The future of AI was clearly discovered in the movie Her, does human interaction counteract that of an AI? However, according to G. Bruno if a machine can feel emotions and talk like them, that is the main sign of a human in Sci-Fi. This is clearly seen in the Her movie which struck a cord as an alternative in the future to ‘Internet dating’.
The movie ‘Her’ also implied the ‘human-machine’ mechanism and to see the boundaries communication can take us, and to explore how machines are becoming more and more human like as technology advances. Do we understand ourselves better once we communicate with AI?
Her delves into the complexities of AI and human interaction. It poses the question of whether an AI can genuinely replicate human emotions and surpass human communication abilities. For example, the new Snapchat AI is being coined as ‘another ChatGPT’ and is used as the application tries to differentiate itself from Instagram and Facebook. Clearly indicating a world where communication with AI is seen as normal and not abstract. Additionally, the movie explores the idea of transhumanism, where technology can improve humanity and enhance our overall intelligence to ‘improve’ humans especially with the introduction of think tanks such as ChatGPT. This is ever present in ‘Her’ as the AI is seen to better Theodore as he feels more at ease being with an AI than a real life woman.
The above tweet expresses this thought in a humorous yet thought provoking way as this could be a possible direction for humans in the future of technology and the cultures that come with it.
Conclusively, the future of cultures will be clearly seen with the ideas of transhumanism, cyberspace, cyborgs, AI, and escapism. The movies watched clearly indicate these themes and show a path to the future and how extensively technology will have to play to the world that we live in. The tweets mentioned above further support these claims along as the sources indicated and cited in this blog post.
REFERENCE LIST
A, Hern, 2023, Snapchat making AI chatbot similar to chatGPT available to every user, The Guardian, accessed 22nd May 2023, https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2023/apr/19/snapchat-making-ai-chatbot-similar-to-chatgpt-available-to-every-user
CBS News, 2023, These films predicted the future of science. How right were they?, CBS Detroit, accessed 22nd May 2023, https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/these-films-predicted-the-future-of-science-how-right-were-they/
G, Bruno, 1987, Ramble City: Postmodernism and “Blade Runner”, MIT Press, https://www.jstor.org/stable/778330?seq=1
Kaspersky, What is A Digital Footprint? And how to protect it from hackers, Kaspersky, accessed 22nd May 2023, https://www.kaspersky.com.au/resource-center/definitions/what-is-a-digital-footprint#:~:text=A%20digital%20footprint%20–%20sometimes%20called,person’s%20online%20activities%20and%20devices
L, Hudson, 2018, Ready Player One is the roadmap to digital dystopia, The Verge, accessed 22nd May 2023, https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/19/17250892/ready-player-one-book-facebook-internet-dystopia
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