Contemplating love in the telematic embrace
The assigned chapter in our text, Roy Ascott's "Is there love in the telematic embrace," is the essence of my dissertation research (so great reading for me). The idea that it was written nearly 20 years ago, before most the digital tools that we are using today were created, shows the tremendous vision of Ascott. Ascott wrote, "The adoption of the headset, DataGlove, or other data wear can make the personal connection to cybersapce -- socialization in hyper-reality -- wherin interaction with others will undoubtedly be experienced as "real," and the feelings and perceptions so generated will also be "real" (p. 314). Of course we're not using headsets and datagloves, nor do we need them to enter the immersive 3D virtual world today. The images alone, as currently available, are already creating "real" emotions from which relationships form. Ascott also discussed the "coherence in the global brain" as a result of the ability to connect with people all over the world. Indeed with technologies like Second Life and Skype, we can connect with people all over the globe for FREE (besides the cost of your computer and Internet connection).
When we think about the development of "real" relationships in a computer-generated environment, consider this from my dissertation proposal: Almost 40% of men and more than 50% of women surveyed also said that “their…[virtual] friends were comparable or better than their real-life friends.” However, friendship is only one form of relationship and one expression of social capital. Another type of online relationship that has taken on great importance in our current culture is the romantic relationship. These relationships are being developed in social networking sites, forums, chat-rooms, MMORPGs, and via online dating services. In fact, according to an eHarmony poll conducted by Harris International (2008), more than 2.5 percent of new marriages in 2007 originated from eHarmony alone. Some estimates suggest that more than 30 percent of new marriages in the U.S. last year originated online.
With that, I ask you, is there love in the telematic embrace??? I invite you to join me every other Monday night at 7 SLT for a SL/RL Relationships Discussion group where folks come to discuss their insights about and challenges with virtual relationships. If you are interested, just send an IM and I'll give you the notecard and landmark for details.
When we think about the development of "real" relationships in a computer-generated environment, consider this from my dissertation proposal: Almost 40% of men and more than 50% of women surveyed also said that “their…[virtual] friends were comparable or better than their real-life friends.” However, friendship is only one form of relationship and one expression of social capital. Another type of online relationship that has taken on great importance in our current culture is the romantic relationship. These relationships are being developed in social networking sites, forums, chat-rooms, MMORPGs, and via online dating services. In fact, according to an eHarmony poll conducted by Harris International (2008), more than 2.5 percent of new marriages in 2007 originated from eHarmony alone. Some estimates suggest that more than 30 percent of new marriages in the U.S. last year originated online.
With that, I ask you, is there love in the telematic embrace??? I invite you to join me every other Monday night at 7 SLT for a SL/RL Relationships Discussion group where folks come to discuss their insights about and challenges with virtual relationships. If you are interested, just send an IM and I'll give you the notecard and landmark for details.
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