Myths and Cyberbole, Trends and Tipping Points

Reading Summary:

A cyberbole is a myth or exaggeration. One issue is called ‘endism,; referring to predictions that new developments will result in the end of other methods and approaches. Endism is conceptually and practically flawed – conceptually because it is an absolute and absolutes are rarely found in our relativist world, and practically it ignores counter forces that proponents of particular changes fail to see or afford due valence. A populist concept that frames and distorts the discussion is called cyberspace. It is a much over-imagined and emotionally conceptualized space that deflects our attention from the real issues of substantive importance. The problem in generalizing all that is online as cyberspace is that it focuses attention on things that are happening in some other space, not here. This is true for virtual reality as well. People who use social networks move back and forth between the real world and the virtual world, and sometimes they are ‘in both worlds’ at one time. However, some would say that both are the real world, as they are interactions, people are just interacting with their friends in different ways. The text talks about how because we have a virtual world where things seem so perfect, we often feel the need to keep up this personna in real life. In online chats, people cannot hear accents, which can make some people feel more comfortable talking to others online. Additionally, if people are busy, the conversation can just pick up whenever it is most convenient for both parties. The text also discusses how media is changing over time. For example, when computers were first becoming popularized, it was a big deal to have to remember to log in or log out, but now using a computer is just a daily part of life for most people and not something that they have to think about. The text talks about what will happen in the future as media continues to intertwine further and further into our lives. For example, there is constantly new technology coming out – facial recognition, voice recognition, etc. – that the lines between cyberspace and reality continue to be blurred.

Outside Example:

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/coronavirus-victim-alexa-woman-asked-for-help

This article talks about how a LouAnn, a woman in a nursing home asked her Alexa for help when she was suffering from the coronavirus. She has passed away, but there are about 40 recordings of LouAnn talking to her Alexa about some of the pain that she was in. Her sister said that Alexa was “like a good friend to her.” Additionally, LouAnn’s Alexa was her primary communication tool, as she would call her sisters through the device.

Connection to Reading:

Even though Alexa would be considered “virtual reality,” LouAnn was able to contact her family using her Alexa, which made it possible to have contact with others. Without technology, people who are quarantined with the virus would have to be even more alone and not be able to talk to their loved ones. Similarly, even though Alexa isn’t a real person, the device was able to provide LouAnn with a friend and someone to talk to throughout her pain. The reading discusses how virtual realities can be intertwined with our real world and are not always totally separate, and this news article proves that point. Despite the fact that LouAnn was not able to see her family or did not always have someone with her, she was able to connect with her family as well as find a way to cope with some of her pain through this device.