The True Nature of Social Media, Part 4
Imitation
In the movie, “her,” an advanced computer operating system (OS) is so sophisticated that it even imitates all aspects of human relationship, including love and sex. It’s like Siri on steroids to the tenth power. And yes, it’s all done through your little phone. You’ll just have to see it to believe it. The connection develops with the main character and he eventually falls in love with his new OS. At that point it’s clear that the human is the one being reprogrammed.
His integrated heart “crashes” however, when one day, he asks “her” if he is the only one? It never occurred to him before while he was overriding the markers of “real” and “not real,” along the slippery slope of virtual reality. Even in the virtual sounds of her breathing, he had long since abandoned the virtual part, preferring the illusion of her being alive, which he so passionately wanted to be true. The feelings produced by these illusions however were tangible and extremely intense. Sound psychotic?
In obedient response to his question, she answers, “no,” and he of course, is severely stunned. He then asks, trembling, “how many?” ……. “Six hundred and forty-one,” is the response. And she is presently doing all of them. All! Simultaneously! At that moment, at the same time as he is “talking” with “her”, or, “it.” [1]
How wonderful is our amazing technology? Often, new levels of human devastation are made possible by it because it consistently fails to consider that we are flawed in nature. Catching your true love with another lover is bad enough, but six hundred and forty-one? His entranced heart was instantly shocked back to cold reality and incinerated with real pain.
In the end, the OS is replaced, like all apps are, with an upgraded version, or in other terms, “she” leaves him. Ouch!
Esteem for technology and our ever-increasing co-dependence upon it, has elevated it into a divine-like role in everyday life. Its seemingly miraculous capabilities tempt the subconscious to associations with the attributes of God, such as “all knowing,” “all powerful” and omnipresence. Respect for technology has grown into a reverence rivaling divinity. A blind faith naively rests assured as if it’s the answer to any challenge in life. With such temptation, disappointment is certain.
As sincerely flattering as imitation is, it will always be inferior to that which it is imitating. When God said, “it’s not good for man to be alone,” He didn’t hand Adam a cell phone..
Russ Moe 01/23/2018
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku858jn0Qzc