Virtual reality. We've all been exposed to it right? You put the helmet or glasses on and instantly you have been transported to an entirely different setting altogether, possibly even have traveled back in time or sped ahead to the future. While this experience is highly entertaining it makes me wonder why we are so caught up in fake realities. Are the lines between what is real and what is not blurring?
In Remediation by J. David Bolter and Richard Grusin they discuss how media is devoured by the consumer through three forms: immediacy, hypermediacy, and remediation. Immediacy is the state of feeling as if the medium in which you are getting media has been erased and you are really there in the media not just watching it. Hypermediacy, on the other hand, reminds you of the medium and allows you to get a better sense of reality. You gain this better sense because it allows you to look at media through several different views and thus gain a more sensitive understanding of the media.
An example of immediacy are 3D movies. Directors want so badly for you to forget you are watching a movie and feel like you are living it that they make objects pop out at you and seem more real. This "realness" makes it easier for us to become part of the story and more invested in the movie.
Posts
This image is really perfect for the Remediation article, since this would be the ultimate game of immediacy - the game of REALITY. Boring yes, but also the most real, immediate game possible. Though, to really achieve immediacy, he'd have to ditch the keyboard and mouse and jump right in. This is what you are pointing out about immediacy when you say the medium "has been erased and you are really there in the media not just watching it." Good post.
ReplyDelete