Прогрессивный журнал Генезис

9 Decades later, mobile micro-computing would replace the holy grail of "full-blown" VR with mun- dane smartphones, digital office tools, and a wide variety of electronic toys for the home. Virtuality recedes as it becomes ubiquitous, a subconscious component of everyday life. What was once a transcendent research goal merges with everyday activities as they float suspended in the cloud of inter-nested computer networks. The semantic need fades for a specialized vocabulary to isolate "virtual worlds," *"avatars," and "telepresence." The semantic remnants of the terms now scatter across every field of routine activity. Two major phases of virtuality mark its evolu- tion: • VR as portal to a private world of sim- ulation where physical senses are immersed in sen- sory data passed through prosthetic devices where users temporarily "forget" their primary sensory world (1980-2000); • VR as a convenient communication tool where human contact transcends the con- strictions imposed by limited sensory data trans- mitted by electronic networks (2000-present). Straddling both phases is the computer gam- ing industry where compelling action reduces the need for full-scale visualization and where com- mercial design continually pushes the envelope for richer graphics and cinematic production values. Of the two phases, the second phase dominates as human contact and commerce expand exponen- tially on computers. This second trend overcomes sensory constrictions by supporting shared con- nectivity under the changing conditions of mobili- ty and convenience. To some, virtuality is an alter- nate universe; to others, it is simply an additional layer in the given conditions of human interaction. Immersive VR elevates the holy grail of realism to metaphysical heights. The pursuit of realism can push beyond the aesthetic trompe l'oeil to project a new mission for humanity: Uploading mind, body and cultural world to an artificial plane free from the restrictions imposed by nature. The final fanta- sy of Transhumanism is to release carbon-based mind-bodies from temporal and spatial forms, en- abling escape from planet Earth in the search for other solar habitations. This transhumanist or utopian teleology faces serious problems of data conversion. The contemporary workplace, where most people spend much of their time, shows a reluc- tance to adopt full-blown virtual reality. An in- stinctive resistance to VR may signal a healthy psychological need to counter-balance technology trends. Office workers today who work, paradoxi- cally, from home, tend to develop mixed versions of telepresence rather than using integrated virtual worlds. They tend to use: • mobile access to shared data on the Web • avatars composed of selected photo fragments • instant messaging and shared desk- tops • webcasts for company meetings ra- ther than in-world events • telephone voice conferences with shared desktops A loose and inventive approach to using the computer grid may indicate a collective movement away from the single-minded pursuit of virtuality. The single mind can envision deeply immersive systems, but the mind is inevitably engaged in a socially constructed world that lifts the visions of “reality for one” into the broader network of social communication (see ONLINE WORDS, SOCIAL NETWORKING). The paradox of virtuality prompts a look at past speculative trends, how they change, and how the present trend now unfolds toward possible fu- tures. The terms that once beamed a numinous ra- diance are now stamped into the everyday coins of commerce: "Avatars" can suggest a wide range of composited aesthetic elements; "virtual worlds" and "virtual reality" are spread tenuously and used loosely. Social adoption brings new uses for old things. The new normal comes from things once held strange and wonderful. "The Street," as cyber- punk Gibson puts it, "finds its own uses for things- -uses the manufacturers never imagined" (quoted in Benedikt 1993: 29). Idealized virtuality can sketch abstract arti- facts that change under conditions of actual usage. Twentieth-century philosophy, led by Heidegger and Wittgenstein, criticized the modern tendency to disengage models or paradigms from their at- hand applications. The disengaged and external vantage point is an abstraction that lacks the give-