Technologised Bodies

Nowadays, our bodies are significantly enhanced by technology. There are various mechanical, physical and chemical ways that improve the functioning of our organisms. First of all, in order to understand the way our bodies are becoming more and more capable due to the use of technology, it is important to define the notion of technology itself. According to the oxford dictionary definition, technology refers to "the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes (…)."

There are a number of things today that shape our way of living. Lets think about people being almost blind or deaf. Such inventions as a pair of glasses or a hearing aid make the life of people coping with these disabilities so much easier. What about those incapable of walking? Different kinds of prosthesis, such as artificial limbs or hips allow those people for being more or less independent. 

Some of the purposes of using technology are in service of beauty and might, therefore, sound a bit superficial (plastic surgeries, braces), but other ones are not only reasonable but also necessary birth control i.e., condoms and contraceptive pills). 

But there is also something else, more and more present in our lives that changes our body significantly - supplements. When I think about their influence one term comes to my mind - Cyborg. I am aware that at first it reminds us on science fiction films, but in reality it means something else. Again, according to the oxford definition, cyborg is "a fictional or hypothetical person whose physical abilities are extended beyond normal human limitations by mechanical elements built into the body." And here various vitamins and proteins come into the picture. They not only increase our immunity and efficiency, but also change the structure of our organisms consequently. Lets think about those using proteins in order to speed up the muscles growth. Those supplements, despite being natural, are made in special labs in order to unnaturally stimulate the development of our organisms.

When talking about the visual culture and digital media, there are numerous of art examples that explore the technologised body. One of them draw my particular attention - "Touchy" by Eric Siu.

Please, click here.

The online video presents a young man wearing "Touchy". The man touches various surfaces in order to see something - unsuccessfully. In result, he is becoming more and more lost. And then, a girl appears. She touches the man's face what forces "Touchy" to open up its eyes - the man can instantly see. Moreover, due to the inner camera, the device takes pictures of what the man sees - capturing these extraordinary moments. 

The video emphasizes the importance of the sense of sight. But this is not all, there is also a hidden message. It reminds us how important people are. This is something which we keep forgetting about. Nowadays, especially in Hong Kong, I keep seeing those people looking at their smartphones constantly. You can see it clearly while using MTR - hundreds of people, young and old, staring at their mobile devices, never looking at each other. Technology not only disconnected them from others, it also made them blind.

In the video, the girl sees exactly what he sees. Technology very often separates us from each other, this device actually connects us. It allows us to look at things from other people's perspective. It helps us seeing things from different angles.

I truly believe that this project reminds us of something that is missing - real human interaction. It highlights the fact that friends help you seeing things, they open up your eyes. We are blind without others.

Bibliography:

Cyborg - definition: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/cyborg

(Retrieved October 27, 2014)

Technology - definition: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/technology
(Retrieved October 27, 2014)

Video Games - Just Playing?

Having an opinion that playing videogames is a perfect time-wasting activity, I will do my best to argue that there are still certain positive aspects of it for both, individuals and society. Next, I will try to claim that some scientific evidence proving that videogames can encourage real world aggression can be found. Last but not least, I will describe shortly our group's favorite videogame (despite us not being big fans of it at all). Enjoy the lecture!

First group of videogames blurs the line between dream and reality. According to the video presented during the lecture, games such as: America's Army and Under Siege can be classified to this group. I do, certainly, think that this kind of videogames is the worst one. The logic behind my reasoning is strictly related to the fact that playing those games can make an individual confused about the visible line between what is real and what is not. The plot of both those games is based on real-world situation, supported by historical or current global issues. They are both about killing the enemies, and maybe it would be nothing wrong with it (since killing our friends would not be too logical) but this war computer game is about American soldiers killing Arabs. As we all know, there is a significant number of Arabians living in the USA, and, as we all know, there has always been certain conflicts between West and East beliefs. Doesn't this game encourage racism? Doesn't it strengthen the division between American society? In this post, these questions will remind open. The same situation goes for Under Siege - violence linked to political and ideological issues - not my cup of tea. Moreover, the above games are so called 'first-person shooter' ones, that were proved to have an enormous impact on human brain and the activity of those parts of the brain strictly related to aggressive behavior. And since the United States Army supports buying this game in order to teach young men how to be better soldiers, it needs to be effective. 
Despite all those aspects we need to look at this issue from another perspective. All the games that include any educational aspects, increase people's awareness about global issues. Nowadays, obviously, teenagers are used to technology and violence (due to the omnipresence of different television shows), therefore, maybe presenting various information in this incredibly immersive way is the only way to reach out to them?

The second group of videogames can be described as 'not so bad'. 'Remission' can serve here as an example. Here, young cancer patients kill cancer cells. Our group discussed that those being ill should do everything they can to take their minds off the topic - to watch some funny programs, or to try socializing with friends and family. But it is easy to say things like 'enjoy your life until you can' when being completely healthy. It was proved that this videogame helped young cancer patients to overcome the disease. And even if the examinations were not completely reliable, I truly believe that as long as those kinds of games give them a little bit of hope, they are worth playing.

The third and, at the same time, 'the best' group of videogames includes titles such as: 'Doom' and 'Postal'. Very violent positions but with no plot. Playing those games is all about releasing emotions. I could compare it to watching soap operas - you don't really see the purpose of doing it but doing it, somehow, makes you happy. 

As a group, we really have no experience of playing videogames at all. The only game all of us played when being kids is called 'Tamagotchi', which is a small egg-shaped computer that can be described as a digital pet. As players, we can see pet's needs, such as e.g. hunger or physiological needs, and we can measure its level of health or happiness. The player can care for a pet or not, but the outcome depends on player's action. I remember that this toy taught me how to be systematic and was a good prologue to having a real animal!