1. The Slavoj Zizek quote that "Ideology Is the Original Augmented Reality". For me the notion that placing a headset directly over our entire field of vision is the ultimate immersion of simulacra only highlights how nullified we've become to the fact that regardless of AR/VR headsets the majority of what enters our field of vision is manmade and artificial. Even when it's seemingly real, like a park or the "countryside", it's arguably a heavily engineered environment to meet human needs (leisure / agriculture).
2. I recall Evgeny Morozov making an observation that 'surveillance capitalism' (and the associated colonisation of attention) isn't necessarily the core ideology of Big Tech, it's just been a highly effective means for Big Tech to monetise and grow. As such the monetisation of attention is the consequence of Big Tech, rather than the cause or ambition. Which I wonder if might explain why Big Tech finds it so difficult to foresee, or even appropriately react to, most of the issues cause if "commanding attention" itself is only the biproduct of their products rather than their core expertise?
3. It feels to me that within the issue of “attention at all costs” we're essentially in battle of three different interpretation of the noun 'costs';
• an amount that has to be paid or spent to buy or obtain something (ie. how much $ BIG TECH can make)
• the effort, loss, or sacrifice necessary to achieve or obtain something (ie. the burden SOCIETY has to shoulder for that $)
• legal expenses, especially those allowed in favour of the winning party or against the losing party in a suit (ie. the benefits or risks GOVERNMENTS face in regulating, or not regulating, an entire industry)
Thanks, Ted! Yes. Agree on all points. WRT point 1, and Žižek's observation, that's what I was alluding to in the section noting the fake digital crown of the AVP, and the false choice it and the AVP itself offers
Also, while much of what we view around us in "the real" is, as you say, artificial and engineered, there's a phenomenological difference between viewing these man made artefacts directly with our naked eye, and looking at them only through the lens of an Apple Vision Pro. A device capable of imperceptibly operating on that sensory feed in real-time and according to ideological frames external to our own consciousness and likely contrary to our best interests, intentionally or otherwise.
Yes language is the first form of Artificial Intelligence. Such artificial intelligence now patterns and controls the entire world. We all "live" in self-created towers of babble/babel, and collective babble towers too.
It could be said that Iain McGilchrist's left-brained Emissary is both the creation of such. And its sustainer too because without exception all of the usual left-brained language games, however seemingly meaningful reinforce the pattern that now patterns everyone.
Another unmentioned aspect of this and every other micro-electronic device, and even just electricity too is the effect that of the now all-pervasive micro-electronic radiation has on our brains, nervous systems, our bodies altogether, the bodies of the non-humans and even of trees too!
Check out the book by Arthur Firstenberg titled The Invisible Rainbow. Read the last very shocking chapter first. The book features approximately 2000 foot notes.
Really interesting. 3 things came to mind;
1. The Slavoj Zizek quote that "Ideology Is the Original Augmented Reality". For me the notion that placing a headset directly over our entire field of vision is the ultimate immersion of simulacra only highlights how nullified we've become to the fact that regardless of AR/VR headsets the majority of what enters our field of vision is manmade and artificial. Even when it's seemingly real, like a park or the "countryside", it's arguably a heavily engineered environment to meet human needs (leisure / agriculture).
2. I recall Evgeny Morozov making an observation that 'surveillance capitalism' (and the associated colonisation of attention) isn't necessarily the core ideology of Big Tech, it's just been a highly effective means for Big Tech to monetise and grow. As such the monetisation of attention is the consequence of Big Tech, rather than the cause or ambition. Which I wonder if might explain why Big Tech finds it so difficult to foresee, or even appropriately react to, most of the issues cause if "commanding attention" itself is only the biproduct of their products rather than their core expertise?
3. It feels to me that within the issue of “attention at all costs” we're essentially in battle of three different interpretation of the noun 'costs';
• an amount that has to be paid or spent to buy or obtain something (ie. how much $ BIG TECH can make)
• the effort, loss, or sacrifice necessary to achieve or obtain something (ie. the burden SOCIETY has to shoulder for that $)
• legal expenses, especially those allowed in favour of the winning party or against the losing party in a suit (ie. the benefits or risks GOVERNMENTS face in regulating, or not regulating, an entire industry)
Thanks, Ted! Yes. Agree on all points. WRT point 1, and Žižek's observation, that's what I was alluding to in the section noting the fake digital crown of the AVP, and the false choice it and the AVP itself offers
Also, while much of what we view around us in "the real" is, as you say, artificial and engineered, there's a phenomenological difference between viewing these man made artefacts directly with our naked eye, and looking at them only through the lens of an Apple Vision Pro. A device capable of imperceptibly operating on that sensory feed in real-time and according to ideological frames external to our own consciousness and likely contrary to our best interests, intentionally or otherwise.
Yes language is the first form of Artificial Intelligence. Such artificial intelligence now patterns and controls the entire world. We all "live" in self-created towers of babble/babel, and collective babble towers too.
It could be said that Iain McGilchrist's left-brained Emissary is both the creation of such. And its sustainer too because without exception all of the usual left-brained language games, however seemingly meaningful reinforce the pattern that now patterns everyone.
Another unmentioned aspect of this and every other micro-electronic device, and even just electricity too is the effect that of the now all-pervasive micro-electronic radiation has on our brains, nervous systems, our bodies altogether, the bodies of the non-humans and even of trees too!
Check out the book by Arthur Firstenberg titled The Invisible Rainbow. Read the last very shocking chapter first. The book features approximately 2000 foot notes.
Interestng! Thank you, Johnathan. I will give it a read.
https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/augmented-3 //via @esther@strangeobject.space