Freedom of the Avatar

I have been following with interest the ongoing discussion of the dawning “Age of the Avatar,” as illustrated in films such as “The Matrix” and “The Thirteenth Floor,” and heralded by online communities like Second Life. In a recent survey, many respondents described their online activities in “Second Life” as being more enjoyable and fulfilling than their real lives. This seems sad for two reasons: first, because a life that is less enjoyable than an artificial construct is assuredly not what most people hope for; and secondly, because there is obviously something wrong with a society so unsatisfying that it drives people into the metaphorical embrace of an electronic mistress. However, my contention is that the comparison is fundamentally flawed, and that the first point above is actually a distraction from the more disturbing – and valid - second point. My favorite contemporary philosopher, Hakim Bey, discussed the notion of artificial vs. authentic quite succinctly and brilliantly in his classic work, “TAZ.” In it, he describes the concept of “mediation.” “We must face a very serious question about the Web and the tech it involves. The TAZ desires above all to avoid mediation, to experience its existence as immediate. The very essence of the affair is "breast-to-breast" as the sufis say, or face-to-face. But, BUT: the very essence of the Web is mediation. Machines here are our ambassadors--the flesh is irrelevant except as a terminal, with all the sinister connotations of the term … The TAZ … retains intense awareness of itself as body and feels only revulsion for CyberGnosis, the attempt to transcend the body through instantaneity and simulation.” I think that Bey has here put his finger directly on something that many other thinkers have struggled to define. Why, exactly, is something artifial better than something authentic, and how can those terms be objectively defined? Bey’s answer clearly is that a human experience becomes less authentic as the layers that “mediate” it increase. Painting a picture, for example, is more authentic than viewing that painting in a gallery, which is more authentic than looking at a photograph of that painting on a computer screen. This means that it is not correct to compare an online life with a “real” life, since they are apples and oranges. An online experience is a mediated experience, like a movie or a TV program. I suspect that many people who are quite happy with their real lives would freely admit that being engrossed in a great film (or a favorite TV show) is more fulfilling and satisfying than other aspects of the daily grind. This does not necessarily mean that everyone who enjoys “Second Life” and its ilk prefers a “fake life” to a “real life” (although some probably do), it simply means that they prefer that particular diversion to other aspects of their lives. Which brings up the real question: not, “why do people feel drawn to this particular diversion,” but “why do people feel so drawn to diversion in general?” It is my prediction that the “Age of the Avatar” will not be a seismic societal shift like the introduction of the Internet, but will simply provide one more opportunity for First-World residents to escape temporarily from a “real world” whose pleasures have become less accessible through less-mediated means. Bombarded by bad news, imprisoned in congested cities, feeling powerless against the war-mongering and earth-raping machinations of the ruling elite … is it any wonder that we seek succor wherever we can find it? In “The Matrix” films, the main characters seek to escape from a computer-generated dream into the real world. In this case, life is not exactly imitating art, since the residents of our culture have begun an exodus in the opposite direction. Whether the specific destination is a virtual online community, a TV show, video games, or some other next-generation carnival ride, the goal is the same: freedom. Rulers of old used “bread and circuses” to placate their subjugated citizens. More contemporary despots have used sex and drugs for the same purpose. But now, sired by tyranny and suckled by technology, the children of the First World have begun to conjure their own illusions of liberty. I am very interested to see how many people will be dissuaded by fantasy from real change, and how many will be inspired to make their dreams real. Any thoughts?