Reflections on Understanding Visual Culture

This will be my penultimate post - one more for the Assignment 5 feedback, then UVC will be completed.

Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed this course. It has been hard work, has taken many more hours than I anticipated; probably well over the 400 hours OCA use as a guide. It is not just the reading and research, but also the blog maintenance (Blogger behaves in strange ways occasionally; one post was lost completely and had to be retyped).

Outcomes

In the introductory post of exactly 11 months ago, I set out three anticipated outcomes:

1. The challenge of "understanding and criticising more general theories in a visual context". This has undeniably been met: the theories of Berger, Marx, Debord, Bourdieu, Benjamin, Freud and Lacan (to mention just a few) have been read. Interpreting them has been a significant challenge in some cases, particularly due to the arcane language used in places, as discussed below;
2. Broadening the range of academic skills to incorporate those seen as relevant to this course: knowledge and understanding; research skills; critical and evaluation skills; and communication. Tutor has judged Assignments 1,2 & 4 as excellent across all criteria, and Assignment 3 as very good across all. Subject to comments on A5, this objective has been met also (postscript 10 December 2014: A5 was marked as outstanding in all respects);
3.  The final outcome of relevance to future courses will be outstanding for some time. but it seems highly likely that the concepts and theories in UVC will be useful in future modules. Completion of UVC marks a significant milestone: I have now completed Level 1, having started in 2011 with The Art Of Photography, followed by People and Place, and now Understanding Visual Culture. I have decided to carry on to Level 2, commencing with Landscape  then, probably, Documentary. The decision has been made easier by the move in the new syllabus towards reading, challenging, interpreting, and communicating via the photographic medium: to 'articulate your individual perspective of place' in the words of the course summary for Landscape. Documentary encourages us to advance communication skills and apply semiotics to images. Specifically, one assignment in each module is a 2,000 word essay. This all seems to chime with the approach in UVC.

But studying UVC has provided much more than these three outcomes. It has broadened my knowledge generally; I freely admit to knowing little about Art now, but at least I know more than 11 months ago. Visiting the Tate Modern a few weeks ago, I felt more confidence in understanding what I was looking at. I have some idea of the theories of Freud, Lacan and others. And, most of all, I have enjoyed the 'voyage of discovery'. Unlike the photography modules, I started many of the sections of UVC with zero knowledge. Reading and interpreting the works in the course was challenging, but even better was researching material for the Assignments. 

Despite the cautionary note in Assignment 5, digital technology has been empowering in this course. All the notes, logs and assignments have been created and stored digitally and, more important, the internet has been the source for a large chunk of my Assignment material. As well as the work of Jeff Koons, Sherry Turkle, Sarah Lucas, Hannah Höch, to mention just a few well-known names, I came across and used sources and authors that were writing on matters and in ways that were not directly relevant to what one might term 'academic UVC', but struck me as very relevant to the subject-matter. There are several examples in Assignment 4 - the use of the story about the uniform of the Colombian women's cycle team and Brogan Driscoll's coverage of nude sports photography in the Huffington Post. A quote from a blog by Christy Stewart-Smith was used in Assignment 3.  

And in a wider sense, the course has provided opportunity to explore media that I otherwise would not have: Jay-Z and others performing rap videos in Gendering the Gaze, and watching the films: Vertigo, Simba, Battle of Algiers, The Matrix and Blade Runner. Battle of Algiers is an outstanding film; I have suggested it to many family and friends since watching, as it has an almost disconcerting relevance to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, for example. There were, too, some references that added humour with their irreverence: Craig Brown's My Turd , a satire of Tracey Emin's My Bed, is one I returned to several times when despairing of understanding what a particular article was driving at.

I learnt more too about using software, and annotation. An internet search revealed how to ensure that a link, when clicked, opens in a new page; important so I could incorporate links to annotated pdfs in the blog that open in a separate page. (The default position in Blogger, is such that viewers are required to use the back button to get back to the original post after clicking and reading a link). Thanks to my wife, Sue, who helped with MS Publisher, the software used for the annotations. Not studying Art, I had to assume how an annotation worked for an academic assignment; seems that the results are satisfactory as had no adverse comment from tutor. Sue also found a link on how to insert superscript for use in the text to refer to notes, used in Assignment 5, another of those little touches that provide a more professional result. Wordpress would probably be a better software than Blogger, but the latter has worked so far in the three OCA modules. 

It is what you make of it

To quote again from the  introductory post:

"Probably my main concern is not understanding the subject, finding the jargon arcane, and the arguments highfalutin. I have little time for academic study that is deliberately opaque so as to appear more difficult than it truly is. The challenge will be to avoid scorn or dismissiveness when reading an commenting on such material."

This was prescient, or at least the first part (I think I have avoided scorn and dismissiveness, albeit shown some exasperation at times). A lot of the reading - Lacan, Barthes, Derrida, Debord, Altthusser, Baudrillard - is really very difficult to interpret in the original for an unpractised reader (for anyone). My favourite phrase was by Althusser, referred to in Reflections on Chapter 1:

 "[The Absolute subject] subjects the subject to the Subject..." I was whimsically reminded of Major Major Major Major, a character from Joseph Heller's novel Catch 22. 

Latterly I have come to wonder why it seems necessary for these authors to be so oblique. Is it some sort of conspiracy or game with the audience, challenging them to struggle and make meaning of the writings? 

Firstly, let's bear in mind these thinkers come from a strong French tradition of philosophical thinking. Philosophy remains a strong influence in French education so it is hardly surprising that it has produced some leading academics on philosophy and related subjects. It can be argued that it is not the place of leading thinkers to be accessible; let those coming behind do the spade work of helping the rest of us understand the opaque prose. My second sentence in the above quote is therefore misguided - these are difficult concepts that do not lend themselves to direct and easily readable prose.

An internet search of 'Why are French philosophers so difficult to understand?' adduced nothing of assistance but refining the search came up with a review of a book by Bruce Fink (2004). The following extract from the reviewer's comments is instructive:

"Firstly, he [Fink] reads Lacan literally to the letter, arguing that if one is prepared to undertake a close reading of the text, he is quite often not obfuscatory, but actually says what he means.  Secondly, he reads Lacan to the letter in the sense that he attempts to understand him on his own terms as having an artistic, literary style of writing.  This argument is sustained by Lacan himself, who often seems to have more in common with literary criticism than clinical psychoanalysis.  Lacan criticizes analysts who over-use the word “analyze”, because they “no longer know what it means to interpret.”

Fink, the reviewer continues, contends that Lacan’s mode of writing is a part of his philosophy, and attempt to psychoanalyze psychoanalysis. One could perhaps say that Lacan looks at the reader looking at his work. He challenges the reader to interpret, rather than to analyze. 'Interpret' in the English language has connotations of of holism and of individuality, that one person's  'interpretation' will be different from another's; 'analyze' has connotations that the subject can meaningfully be disaggregated into smaller more understandable parts each of which will have an objective truth. Nusselder (2009, loc52), in a similar vein, quotes Lacan as saying that it is so much better when one does not understand his writings, since it gives a chance to explain them. Lacan, at least, it seems is challenging his reader to make sense of his prose. Shades too of Derrida, who reportedly tired of explaining "il n'ya pas de hors texte" in his later life.

So it is up to us to read, interpret and (by implication) set out what we consider the meaning is without fear of contradiction because each 'intepretation' is unique. It is perhaps not a giant leap of generalising faith to extrapolate this to all the writers above, because that is the way with arts and the social sciences: universal, unassailable, objective truth is hard to to find. This remains an incomplete explanation of the issue of the tortuous nature of the language - you can openly invite your reader to interpret your work in his or her own way without writing in riddles - but it goes some way to explaining it. 

Conclusion

2014 has been an eventful year personally: retiring from employment in August, and completing The South West Coast Path (followed in October by the much shorter Ridgeway.) It is an arresting thought that considerably more hours were spent on this course than walking 630 miles (albeit that many hours were spent planning and travelling to and from each stage of SWCP as well as the 283 actually walking). Both projects require structure: SWCP requires planning of accommodation, transport and itineraries; UVC requires reading, researching material, executing projects and assignments. Yet within the structure, there is room for improvise, to confront the unexpected, to explore something different than was planned. Some things exceed expectations, others disappoint. Open mindedness is an essential. Not only have SWCP and UVC been in their own ways intrinsically challenging and rewarding, they have also been cathartic.

References:

Fink, Bruce (2004) Lacan to the Letter: Reading Écrits Closely. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press (ebook version)

Nusselder, André (2009) Interface Fantasy: A Lacanian Cyborg Ontology Kindle version. Amazon  

Reflections on Chapter 5

Reading and the projects

I recall wondering a few months ago when looking ahead what Chapter 5 was about. How does it relate to anything I have done so far in OCA? How, indeed, is a project entitled "Illusion only is sacred, truth profane" or "Ecclesiastes misquoted" relevant to visual culture? Never mind Schrödinger's cat.

The chapter title, The concept of reality, suggested that psychology would feature significantly, although the first project took us back a couple of stages to consider advertising again. Because of its openly manipulative raison d'être, advertising is a rich source of material for visual culture analysis. Preceding that was a reread of Debord's Separation Perfected; gained much from a second read. The project was interesting, especially finding adverts for products past and present; I incorporated the current Guinness More Than campaign.

Reading around the project, I was struck again by the contrast between academic visual culture approach to advertising, and articles from those within the advertising industry. No apologies for 'leading the reader' or 'manipulating the message' from them; this is what they do. It is straight to the point as to how you get the viewer to absorb your message, from subtleties like colour or positioning of objects within images, to the textual message. The photographer for the Barclays ad proudly announces on his website how he set up the image to promote the required lifestyle of the ad agency. It reminds one of the quote from Scott Clifford, the author of the Top 20 Sexiest Female Athletes of 2014 that was included in Assignment 4: after musing over the inherent sexist nature of what he does, Clifford concludes: "....I really need to get paid so enough with the words and such." Barthes would doubtless say this is symptomatic of accepting the existing as the natural order of things, and maybe it is, but Clifford does need to be paid, and the advertising industry does need clients.

The intriguingly entitled Ecclesiastes Misquoted required reading of Baudrillard and his misquote from the Old Testament. The article is absent from the third edition of the course reader, requiring some reading around (unusually could not find an online copy). Baudrillard seemed prescient; the idea that reality however described is basically a single construct was timed very well when digital technologies were beginning a period of rapid development, and formed the basis for the second part of the Assignment.

Alongside, Blade Runner and The Matrix were good viewing. I had not seen them in the cinema when released. The academic significance of both is perhaps overstated - like Scott Clifford, the film studios have to make money and there is more to be made from the entertainment value of violence and special effects of which there is plenty in both movies - but there is also congruence with the Baudrillard's view of reality. A few images from Dr. Who in other projects have been used in a similar vein in other projects.

I had difficulty finding Lacan's What is a Picture? as it is not included in third edition of the course reader. One advantage of having an open blog (>2,500 visitors to date) is that, after posting that I had given up looking for it, a helpful reader pointed out in a comment where I could find the article online. It is not an easy article to read (more of this in the final post) but I referred to the concept of the image screen in the Assignment.

Perhaps the most bizarre project of the whole course was to read about Schrödinger's cat, but does highlight (and provide some theoretical credence) that one observer can face two realities. The concept of dual reality is used a lot in sci-fi (I referred to Dr. Who but it is equally relevant to the two movies above). Was pleased to find six images demonstrating Lacanian gaze for the associated project as at first sight could not fathom what to do. As with many other projects, not quite sure whether I hit the right notes, but it was a challenging project, and, incidentally, emphasised what a brilliant work Holbein's The Ambassadors is.

I was not a Buffy fan. Viewing Restless scarcely convinced me that there is a gaping hole in my cultural existence as a result. The dreams lend themselves to some psychological analysis, notably Willow's discomfort at being exposed in front of class and in a situation where she does not know her lines for the imminent performance of a play, or where Xander confronts his dysfunctional father. I was rather less convinced about the significance of Giles' and Buffy's dreams, but then may have missed something. Joyce has the best line: in response to Willow's announcement that the spirit of the first slayer had tried to kill them all in their dreams, she offers hot chocolate, the panacea of all ills.

The Assignment

I aimed to present two rather different examples of how the virtual and real boundaries merge in contemporary culture: one with a relatively narrow focus, based on personal experience, and very much 'visual'; another, wider, example considering how current technological advances impact us socially and culturally.

Throughout the course, I have attempted to use photography as examples when discussing ideas and concepts as it is the course I am following. The course notes actually mention digital manipulation as an example one might use in the Assignment. Considering the virtual nature of photographic manipulation provided an opportunity to step back for moment and think about the why rather then the what and how. Howells and Negreiros discuss manipulation in their book Visual Culture, and this provided an opportunity to address their conclusion. 

 One of the paradoxes of this course has been the lack of contemporary material in what is a very dynamic and rapidly changing digital world. The impact of technology and in particular how the Law of Unintended Consequences raises its head in so many developments. Technological advances have seldom if ever come without some negative baggage attached; only this week, Sue Perkins considered the impact of damming the Mekong in the third episode of her BBC2 series. It is a classic case of the dilemma between the big economic argument - the generation of more electricity than Laos can use with the added benefit of using no fossil fuels - against the inevitable impact on the livelihood of millions downstream. Perkins ends confused, not least because she acknowledges her privileged Western view that risks being patronizing whatever she concludes.

Yet the iPhone has come on to the market as result of a masterpiece of design by Apple - and rapidly 'copied' (or at least as close as the lawyers can argue about to not being a copy) by a plethora of hardware that use the Android operating system - with very little consideration of the unintended consequences for society as a whole, and users individually. We are already on iPhone 6, only seven years after the 1st generation; just hours before writing this entry, Apple's market capitalization hit $700bn for the first time (it was already the world's largest company by market cap, not much more than a decade after it was in the doldrums). It is valued at more than Switzerland's GDP. 10m iPhone 6s were sold in the opening weekend; 71.5m are due to be shipped in Q4 2014, (source: Time business), an archetypal example of commodity fetishism. It is always tempting to assert a phenomenon as a 'revolution' in order to emphasises the importance of the point one makes but I think the smartphone (and of course, its partner, WiFi) mark at the very least a sea change in which the real and the virtual interact; the clue is in the point Sherry Turkle makes in the interview embedded in the Assignment: if you act out your virtual self seated at a computer, you get up at the end and resume 'normal life'. It is maybe not quite as clear cut as that, but the point is well made. The smartphone (with WiFi) is qualitatively different because of its transportability, and the consequence of us being 'always on' with respect to the virtual world. It is a hook.

The aim of this part of the assignment was to address this implications of this. I commenced by the now familiar routine of searching for relevant material. I read substantial part of Nusselder's Interface Fantasy: a Lacanian Cyborg Ontology (Kindle version), which helped put cyberspace into a psychological framework. Nusselder refers to the work of Sherry Turkle in several places; I searched for her work and read much of Alone Together. Her messages chimed exactly with what I was seeking; she has the ability to make serious points in a way that is comprehensible to the ordinary viewer/reader, as she demonstrates in the interview. She emphasises the superficiality of the cyber existence - "moments of more, lives of less" - with some examples. We vote online on many issues nowadays by checking a box but we tend not to go meetings to engage with others on these issues or to act on them.

Interestingly in the context of OCA, she talks about online learning. There are advantages - I could scarcely engage in a Photography course around a busy life without it, as a very proximate example - but, as she says, there are also disadvantages: the inability to engage with others doing the same course, or with tutors, on a regular face to face basis. For many, she argues, 'it is better than nothing', but, she emphasises, there is a risk that it becomes the delivery mechanism with inherent unintended consequences: "better than nothing becomes better than anything."

Space precluded detailed discussion on other technological advances. I would have liked to include more on artificial intelligence (AI) and the likely impact of robots on our lives. On the premise that virtual sex was very likely to be a feature of AI, I searched for articles/books on the subject and found Daniel Levy's interesting book. Turkle covers AI in her book, but Levy's slant was more positive, and added a specific dimension.

Lastly, my online research uncovered the I-Seeing project, a virtual reality experiment that was timed to perfection for this Assignment as it is ongoing as this is written. The project may be seen as the apotheosis of the merging of virtual and reality: the complete mirroring of another's existence.

Conclusion

This was a fascinating section. Probably the most significant learning outcome is a volte face regarding the psychological approach to the subject. Having previously shed doubt on the applicability of Freud in particular to visual culture, I reconsidered in previous blog entry. The reading of Lacan and, especially, the reading above re the Assignment, have led to a Damascean conversion. If we wish to understand the underlying processes to visual culture, then psychologists provide the theoretical framework, albeit that the authors considered in this course could explain their points more succinctly and clearly, as will be discussed in final post.

I have found all the Assignments to be the best part of each chapter, and this was no exception. Although the subject-matter is prescribed, there is a great deal of latitude to explore it in ways that are relevant to you. I had a rough idea of what to write about, but thoroughly enjoyed, and felt enriched by, reading the sources located for the essay.

Assignment 5: What is reality?

Introduction

The aim of the essay is to analyse the boundaries between the 'real' and the 'virtual' in our contemporary culture. It would be easy to spend the entire essay and much more on defining 'reality' and 'virtual' but it is important to set some context for the substantive text.

Taking from the Oxford English Dictionary, Wikipedia defines reality as "the conjectured state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined." Existence is itself not easy to define, notably whether the term is restricted to physical existence. Consequently, an easier way of defining reality is to what it is not: fictional, abstract or imaginary. Freud saw reality as a constraint, as an interference in the 'pleasure principle': the process of obtaining gratification from previous experience. Lacan thought this was too simple; in his 'symbolic order', the distinction is less clear.

Lacan theorised three registers: Real, Imaginary and Symbolic. The Real for Lacan is a state of nature, in which we are in constant need; it is neo natal because the acquisition of language separates us from Real. We can therefore never describe the Real - "the real is impossible" says Lacan; its role is to act as a barrier to the imaginary and symbolic orders. 

The symbolic order  is characterised by the adoption of  skills and norms required to engage in society: notably language, but also acceptance of social norms and the rule of law. It is related to the Oedipus complex discussed in previous blog. There is some congruence with the Real to a child growing up and adopting language and norms.

Lacan sees the imaginary order as being where the individual creates fantasy images of himself and of his objects of desire (Felluga, 2011). There is a close relationship to the Mirror Stage, that point where the child moves from the I to the Other, realising he or she is an individual and not just a body reliant on others. 

Reality is therefore many faceted. The term 'virtual' means near or almost so we are seeking in this project phenomena that are very close to what we deem real. 

I have chosen two topics to consider: Photography, specifically the role of manipulation; and some contemporary developments in the world of digital technology. In both cases I argue that the boundaries between the virtual and the real are merged, concluding with a project where they have completely merged. 

Photographic manipulation

 "And after it rains there's a rainbow
And all of the colors are black
It's not that the colors aren't there
It's just imagination they lack"

Paul Simon - My Little Town

Post processing - the manipulation of images after they have been photographed - has become mainstream since the advent of digital cameras. The most  commonly used software amongst keen amateurs and professionals is Adobe Photoshop, originally designed to aid graphic design, but now the leading camera image manipulation software.  

Consider the image below of Gribben Head in Cornwall. It was taken in fairly extreme weather in early January 2014 while walking the South West Coast Path:

The image was taken in camera RAW - the above is saved as jpeg 'out of the camera.' We get a sense of changing weather conditions, can see the landscape is out of season. But the image appears drab: grey with dull browns, with a bright white sun leading the eye away from the main subject: the coastline.

Now consider the following manipulated image:

In this manipulation I have cropped the left side to reduce the flair from the sun, added  strong saturation and contrast; sharpened; and reduced luminescent noise, using Photoshop and Topaz, a plug in. This manipulation was done for a specific purpose. The magazine for South West Coast Path Association was seeking images of the trail taken in winter for use in their published material. I had several suitable images and submitted a few. Would they be likely to print the top image? Probably not, it is too drab. But there is a very positive response for the second, submitted, image from the administrator responsible for the magazine:

"Many thanks for sending us these photographs. I love the Gribbin Head one – the colours are wonderful. I hope we will be able to use them in our marketing¹

So my hunch that the original image required a more vivid interpretation to be used for a publication seems correct. We have an image which is not reality in the sense of what I was conscious of, but rather one that I preferred and perceived an audience might prefer. Disregarding smugness from the author, what are the underlying processes here?

To quote Paul Simon (above): "It's not that the colors aren't there/It's just imagination they lack". The post processing provides the imagination. It is the function of the software to empower me to enhance reality. The post processed image is reality as defined above - it is not imagined, but it is virtual as it is not what my eyes perceived on a January afternoon. Even expensive SLR cameras do not have the dynamic range of the human eye (incidentally a good reason for the adoption of post processing techniques) but the original image is a lot closer to the 'reality' that I experienced. I prefer, however, to submit to a publication a brighter more vivid image because as Freeman (2010, p20) points out, most people prefer rich colours to drab ones. In Lacanian terms my imagination has overcome the barrier of the Real by the use of the software.
 
There are those who would think the manipulated looks 'unnatural'; 'get it right in the camera' is the cry. Theirs is a view one respects. But the genie is out of the bottle. Freeman (ibid) summarises thus:

"It's hard to know where photography fits in the fully liberated world of digital colour..."

Photographic software is now so sophisticated that it gives rise to a second, virtual, reality only partially dependent on the reality described by the image on the sensor. It is unlikely that the (indeed any) camera's settings could have been adjusted to take the secondary image 'in camera', it relies on software. Post processing software typically describes processes such as 'painting' or 'digital scissors', implying it is creating a new and distinct image.

Howells and Negreiros (2012, p265) take a different view of manipulation. They contend that technological changes make manipulation easier and more wide-ranging², but the act itself is the same. It is only a question of degree and consequently: 'the special, complex relationship between reality and the photograph remains fundamentally as it has always been'. This confuses the act with the outcome. If we produce a manipulated image that adduces different responses from the viewer than the original, the result is a different reality. The difference may be subtle - 'virtual' - but that is sufficient. Howells and Negreiros arguably contradict their own argument when they describe how Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths from Cottingley in Yorkshire, using only a domestic camera, produced images of themselves playing with fairies that were sufficiently convincing for many, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, to be duped of the veracity of the fairies' existence. If that is not an ontological difference created by manipulation, it is difficult to see what is.

There is a wider argument concerning whether photography is art. This is important for this discussion, because if it is not art, then by definition photography can be describing only one reality. In this view, photography is no more than a photocopy of the actual. It copies reality, it does not add to it; 'we respond not to the photograph itself, but what it's of' (Howells and Negreiros, ibid, p190). It is the view of Roger Scruton that:

"if one finds a photograph beautiful, it is because one finds something beautiful in its subject. A painting may be beautiful, on the other hand, even when it represents an ugly thing." (Scruton, 1984)

Yet there is more than merely recording the subject-matter. To use the terminology of Nusselder (2009), a photograph reflects both selection of the subject and the composition thereof by its author. He or she takes responsibility for the aesthetic of the image by choosing a subject and how it should be viewed to best represent the author's desires. Selection and composition are subjective choices; 100 photographers set the same task will produce 100 different solutions reflecting their individual imagination and desires. Each will be a distinct 'reality'. To turn the argument on its head, photography, because of its unique proximity to the subject-matter, yet subtly presenting it slightly differently, is a quintessential example of the difference between 'real' and 'virtual'. Post processing extends the range of the realities of the camera yet further.

Sending is Being

Creation Story

In the beginning

there was the cool touch

of a flagstone floor.

Baby soft feet.

And then a big brown bowl

and a swallowing up.

A lap’s crazy heat.

Soft petals. Wet cheek.

Mum dead heading roses.

Susan Jane Sims

From Irene’s Daughter, Poetry Space Ltd 2010 (First published in Obsessed with Pipework, 2009.)

 

The pace of change in digital technology has been so rapid recently that the constraints of the academic modus operandi mean that much research is out of date technologically speaking before the metaphorical ink is dry. Howells and Negreiros (ibid, p 263) describe the problem thus:

 "Disasters lie in wait for writers in new media...The first disaster befalls the writer who attempts an 'up to date' account of the new media today. Inevitably the new have (sic) become old by the time the manuscript reaches print,...[resulting] only in comedy value for the reader."

They continue their chapter on 'New Media' by considering the internet (briefly), photographic manipulation (as above) and the music video. For them, 'new media' are no more than 'new delivery systems' (ibid, p264); the reality does not change, merely the way in which it is delivered. They omit the interrelationship of new technologies with the user, which is the subject of this section. The contention is that these new forms of information exchange have profound influences beyond the immediately apparent; they present alternative, virtual, forms of reality in cyberspace.

Cyberspace may be defined as 'the mental space of the conceptualization or representation of the codified objects of the computer' (Nusselder, ibid, loc 56). The computer screen acts a screen of fantasy in cyberspace (Nusselder, ibid, loc 76). At its most basic - the digital technology equivalent of Lacanian Real - a computer is no more than a binary distinction between ones and zeroes, but the message therefrom is distorted by the screen of the human mind (Nusselder, ibid, loc 81). Lacan considered the determination of objects to be a function of the human mind; technological interfaces determine the object's appearance:

"Just as early humans painted their other Self on the walls of their caves...., modern humans "paint" or design their virtual Self on or with the interfaces of computer technologies." (Nusselder, ibid, loc 86) 

Most users have alter egos when using technological communication, sometimes textual based 'user IDs' but commonly visual avatars, the 'face' of ourselves presented in technological communication. The avatar illustrates Lacan's three orders above; as an avatar I have both a real self and a symbolic self, and act out my fantasies in an imaginary domain. The fantasy self is 'not merely a duplication of the real but also an inevitable formation of it.' (Nusselderibid, loc 96). 

Sherry Turkle (1995) adopts the thesis of Baudrillard, arguing that the distinction between real and virtual has disappeared due to the proliferation of 'multi user domains' (MUDs) or 'neighbourhoods in cyberspace' leading to 'hyperrealities' where reality and the simulation of reality are indistinguishable. Turkle sees benefits in the ability of individuals to explore new identities, but sees dangers in the shallowness of the consequent remote relationships. Cyberspace may lead to identity confusion, or for some become a shelter from the travails of everyday life. This binarism is discussed in blog entry The Matrix in which the simulacra created by aliens is confronted by dissidents.

Turkle extends the argument in Alone Together (2011). The trends she saw earlier have been exacerbated by the development of smart phones and tablets. Before the advent of portable devices, we sat in front of a computer, experimented with our 'identity workshop' then rose and became ourselves again. But we are now 'always on'; we crave the sweetness of the incoming message or tweet - someone wants a piece of us, and we interrupt our discourse to read it. In the interview discussing the book (below) she discusses how the 'playground of immortality' engendered by the huge network of contacts on Facebook, Twitter and other social media³ creates 'the illusion of companionship without the demands of relationship'. 'We are but simulations' she adds, 'we cannot be ourselves. Sending is being.

Turkle bemoans the loss of conversational skills particularly at ostensibly social occasions such as dinner. This Facebook ad says it all:

In Freudian terms, the girl can indulge the pleasure principle - she does not have to listen to boring conversation but can take herself to an imagined reality of rock drummer, ballet dancers, and snowball fights. The social norm constraint (Freud's reality principle) of politely listening to conversation is undone by the availability of her smart phone.

There is an irony here. It is impossible for the younger generation in particular to unplug from social media, because to do so would be to unplug from social contact. An acquaintance recounts how she was bullied at school but felt safe once she could close the door at home; 'they' could not get at her. Fast forward 40 years and there is no escape from cyberbullying in the always on society. Not only are bullies more able to access their targets, but their vitriol is often more extreme than in face to face contact. 

Turkle is therefore concerned that that utopian dream has turned into a dystopian nightmare: a particular manifestation of the general principle of the Law of Unintended Consequences. The positive, liberating effect of new technology has a negative, controlling flip side. Whatever, the technology cannot be 'uninvented', we have to mitigate the negative impacts. 

The other main thrust of technology to consider in our reality/virtual dichotomy is artificial intelligence ('AI'). As with many forms of new technology, sex products are a leading driver. Teledildonics - electronic sex toys controlled by computers -  have been around for a while as an enabling method of reaching orgasm (source: Wikipedia). The physical gratification is being enhanced by bluetooth and apps that can activate devices remotely; an example of where the real and virtual have truly merged. Levy (2008) presents a positive view of how we can receive gratification sexually and (importantly) emotionally from robots:

"Humans will fall in love with robots, humans will marry robots, and humans will have sex with robots, all as...'normal' extensions of our love and sexual desire for other humans." (p 22)

Contrary to expectations, Levy believes women will embrace the technology as much as men, as, in his view, robots will increasingly provide empathy and support, providing much more than purely physical gratification, or even the limited comforts of robot pets such as Tamagotchi and AIBO. 

Conclusion

The two discussions in this essay - one on a restricted more traditional plane, the other more philosophical and wide-ranging - show that the boundary between the real and the virtual is becoming blurred to an extent that suggests Boudrillard is right: there is no longer a distinction. 

The denouement belongs to this project. The accompanying video lends much to Sherry Turkle.

Artist Mark Farid spends 28 days wearing a VR headset and experience life as 'the Other', a heterosexual male who he does not know. The project considers whether Mark will lose his identity and adopt the reality of the Other. The virtual meets reality head on. The project is ongoing as this essay is written. 

Notes:

1. I submitted two others, below, that are perhaps more challenging for inclusion in a marketing campaign. The first is of an abandoned property in Westward Ho! The place the weather conditions and the ambience suited a black and white conversion in my view, providing a 'Du Maurieresque' feel to the image. The second is of Admiral's Hard in Plymouth after the February 2014 storms. It is almost desaturated but I maintained the blue channel so the observer will more readily notice the unscathed SWCP icon on the right, signifying sustainability despite the surrounding debris. The principle is the same: altering one reality to enhance messages in another. Will be interesting to see if these are utilised.

2. The ease with which digital images can be taken and manipulated accords with the thesis of Walter Benjamin - mechanical reproduction "emancipates the work of art from its parasitical dependence on ritual" -  discussed in a blog entry in Chapter 2 and enthusiastically upheld by John Berger.

3. The number of social media continues to grow. Ello was established recently in a competitive landscape.

 
References: 


Felluga, Dino (2011) Modules on Lacan: On the Gaze. Introductory Guide to Critical Theory. Available from http://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/psychoanalysis/lacangaze.html. Accessed on 21 November 2014

Freeman, Martin (2010) The Photographer's Mind. Ilex Press Ltd. Lewes

Howells, Richard and Negreiros, Joaquim (2012) Visual Culture. Polity Press. Cambridge

Johnston, Adrian (2013) Jacques Lacan Available from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/lacan/. Accessed on 21 November 2014

Lacan, Jacques (1999) The Seminar of Jacques Lacan. Book 20: On Feminie Sexuality: The limits of Love and Knowlededge (Encore). New York. Norton (quoted in Nusselder, 2009)

Levy, David (2008) Love and Sex with Robots: The Evolution of Human-Robot Relationships. Harper Collins e-books.

Nusselder, André (2009) Interface Fantasy: A Lacanian Cyborg Ontology Kindle version. Amazon

Scruton, Roger (2014) The Aesthetic Understanding. Methuen. London. Quoted in Howells and Negreiros (ibid)

Turkle, Sherry (1995) Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet. Simon & Schuster. New York.

Turkle (2011) Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. Basic Books. New York.