Virtual Reality Class Discussion
Today in class we discussed the extent to which virtual reality and present and past times. Technology has become such an increasing phenomenon in our everyday lives. We went on to talk about how we established these traits from our past…such as playing dress up when I was a little girl. It embodies virtuality. It is now an everyday practice. The real aspects that come into play are time, place, and space. We came up with several examples from the text to express these issues. The Truman Show, a movie that portrays a man that is set up in a fake environment and how he lives in this place not knowing that the real isnt really real. Is this still a real practice? Its not .. not real. Some argue that talking on the telephone is not real.. second life is not real.
It all depends on how you talk about virtual worlds in different ways. The virtual and the real. Like I said before there are issues: space( created through imagination.. outer-space.. etc) time(synchronous, real time,…) and place( the location in which you choose to be in). These concepts are hard to identify once you sit down and think about them. So where does this fall? It comes back to trying to verify what is real. Evidence is the key to real…once you have evidence and shared meaning…its then when we learn to reach what is real. Which brings us back to the question…
Secondlife- is it real? How do we know whats real?
I believe it is up to the individual to determine what exactly is real and what is not real. It depends on the social and economic standings of the situation. There are many factors to consider before applying these concepts to this or that. I think it differs from person to person. Its what they feel, what they believe, what they think is real and what is virtual. For myself, anything online is considered virtual… but doesnt contest it to be not real. There are still people on second life.. real people…they may be posed as an avatar..but secondlife needs people in order to work.
-Elizabeth Kral-