James Cameron’s sci-fi movie Avatar overtook Titanic (an epic movie about the sinking of the legendary ship ‘Titanic’, also directed by him) last month as the highest earning film of all time.
It also became the fastest movie to take a billion dollars at the box office, doing it in just 17 days. It further won the Golden Globe awards for Best Picture and Best Director, and is bound to top the Oscars having been nominated in nine categories.
Most of its success is attributed to its use of 3D technology which makes the viewer part of the movie by bringing the picture almost to ‘touching-distance’.
This is one of several indications of the virtual world being the cynosure for this decade. The effects of this life choice are yet to be assessed but what is certain in this virtual phenomenon is a manifestation of today’s technological advancement.
Most of this is online (games, dating, reading, shopping, banking, networking sites and chats) and through 3D movies and, of recent, television. The question remains, whether the internet/electronic era has made us lazy ‘couch potatoes’ who do everything at the touch of a button or whether we are lucky to live in an era where things are more advanced and the concept of reality has changed.
Facebook, Twitter and other networking and dating sites have brought about the concept of virtual relationships where one realises he/she can be whoever they want to be and have as many friends by just inviting whoever they please.
Many a person has at least one ‘friend’ on their profiles that they don’t know, have not met or will never meet. This phenomenon has grown to encompass marriages too. Some people are finding virtual relationships a new exciting venture.
These fantasies are leading to spousal neglect, jealousies and suspicions that could have been avoided and if acted upon, a ‘harmless’ flirtation could result into an affair.
The workplace is suffering too as people are spending more work time on the internet doing personal things, especially as many cannot afford internet at home.
Even after work, the BlackBerry culture has ensured the internet is not given a break with all the virtual entertainment on offer. Computer communication and gaming is also taking over the academic and social lives of children.
A run around the park with their parents has been replaced by computer games, internet or television. At a later age, reading for exams is replaced by popular websites with summaries and answers to whichever assignments they are given.
If you have not experienced this, it is coming to you soon enough! One can only imagine what a future filled with accomplished technogeeks and little attention spans will hold!
With the virtual life concept, emotion has gone out of everything a personal touch in realism used to bring. People prefer ‘texting’ to calling, e-shopping instead of going to supermarkets, internet dating instead of face-to-face courtships and now relationships with the kids is almost non-existent.
The world of the sci-fi epic Avatar is, however, so perfect that the line between fact and fiction has become somewhat blurred as most 3D viewers will testify. Movie-goers have admitted being plagued by depression and suicidal thoughts at not being able to visit the planet ‘Pandora’.
The first screening of a soccer match in 3D in selected pubs in the UK on January 31, 2010 of the Arsenal Vs Manchester United game also overwhelmed viewers.
Sitting in the pubs and almost patting Rooney on the shoulders as he took a corner kick, most said they preferred the experience to catching the game live as they felt they were more closer to the action than in real life!
Constant internet and television use is not doing our eyesight any good either and more people are becoming shortsighted.
Celebrities like Lilly Allen are giving up on networking sites like Twitter, MySpace and their BlackBerries to save their relationships. Are we all in time going to choose the boundless possibilities of a virtual life or is this whole thing a bubble that is bound to burst and we should enjoy its thrill while we can?
If we were given a chance to live in the 1980s or now, receive an occasional handwritten letter or an e-mail, my guess is as good as yours as to where the majority vote would be.
The author is a lawyer in the UK.
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
