Enter the twilight zone

[susie_flo]

A few weeks ago I was in equal parts amused and bemused to read of a woman in Japan facing real-life jail for the 'virtual' murder of her online husband...  www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/virtual-killer-faces-real-jail-after-murder-by-mouse-972680.html

I remember thinking, wow - this really is the start of things to come.  Then last week we were treated to this... 
www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html

(Even if we accept that there is something to be said for reinventing oneself online as a sexier, more successful person, what kind of godforsaken, dark, crazed imagination did it take to dream up this mullet?  I mean, really!  Given a free reign in avatar design... why why why?)

Judging from today's BBC news site, it seems I am not the only person who has been pondering how exactly avatars have sex... 
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7729207.stm

The thing is, apart from the obvious urge to snigger at the second-life-loons, it is quite startling the speed at which general usage of the internet is changing.  We seem to be skating closer and closer to a society-changing revolution in the way that people interact.  I wonder how it will all turn out? 

Supposing virtual worlds reach a stage where they begin to feel *genuinely* real, what will be the difference between that and real life?

In 100 years' time, could we all be the matrix...  living busy, fulfilled lives in a virtual world while our real selves don't bother to disconnect from the drip and the feeding tube?  If so, who will fill up our feeding tubes?  Would there be an underclass of carers or would it be the other way around?  (Or will we just replace ourselves with artificial intelligence and get wiped out by skynet?)

Hmmm...

 

Comments

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

I wonder how it will all turn out?

Very badly, I suspect.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Dya think it will? or do you think our core nature will kick in and not allow us to go too far?

In its favour, the internet is allowing us to have this conversation... and I suspect online social interaction is a life saver for lonely or house-bound people.

But I wonder how we'll all cope if the internet gets full and does a Mr Creosote,

[steer.livejournal.com]

It should be pointed out that the Japanese case the crime is hacking, not murder.

You know already that virtual worlds can make you feel real emotions -- definitely fear and exhileration but less commonly joy and sadness. With real other participants then your interactions in the virtual world aren't really less valid than any other at-a-distance interaction.

A story about a man caught writing a love letter to another woman and therefore ending up divorced or making an amorous phone call would no longer be news. The medium really makes no difference though it's (in effect) the same thing.

I bet in the early days of the phone there were similar (if more coy) senationalist stories of men (or women) cheating "over the phone" with similar "these whacky people, they're so crazy" connaitations.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

"It should be pointed out that the Japanese case the crime is hacking, not murder."

Yeah.... but where's the sensationalist fun in that?

I agree with you totally that human interaction is real, regardless of the medium. The fear that is eating a lot of people these days is that as a side effect we are forgetting the niceties of face-face interaction. However it seems to me that the more realistic virtual worlds become (as our avatars become more sophisticated with facial expressions and good table manners) there won't be any difference between virtual and real life.... except we could all be better looking... and have wings... and stuff like that :-p

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

the Japanese case the crime is hacking, not murder

And after all, what are a few missing limbs among friends.

Oh - wrong hacking.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

I bet some flaming ensued...

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

"except we could all be better looking..."

Having said that, G and I did pop into second life last year to see what all the fuss was about. I spent ages trying to make my avatar look like me in real life... (clicking "shorter, fatter, shorter, fatter" for about an hour and trying in vain to de-mangafy my face). I guess I was missing the point, cos when I looked at G's avatar he was like Lord Voldemort meets Bowie, and getting a lot of kudos from foreign teenie-boppers..

[kissmeforlonger.livejournal.com]

Ha! I did exactly that too. (A sociologist of my acquaintance is working on a research project on what people do with their avatar.) I have an avatar that is basically a plump pale redhead.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Have a horrible feeling it might get us ticked off as unimaginative realists...

[kissmeforlonger.livejournal.com]

Urgh!

I'm supposed to be organising a group to assess the educational uses of Second Life. It involves herding academics - bloody nightmare! The technical challenges are the least of it.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

But that's really fun and exciting! Imperial medical school is using second life for UG teaching.... you can travel to Imperial college and have a nose around (I think we only have 2 buildings at the moment though)

[steer.livejournal.com]

You need a driver for Mrs Norris.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ-jv8g1YVI

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Ha! That's fantastic - the cat even looks a bit like Jess :-D
I so wish I could get her to do that...

[steer.livejournal.com]

With her tiny legs, if you put her up there she'd never get down anyway so she'd have no choice.