satisfactions are better than the frustrations of reality: ‘Ignorance is bliss’ he
says. Cypher’s choice raises the dilemma of questioning reality through its
comparison to a technological utopia, yet, as Lanier points out, Virtual Reality
is something totally different to the physical world. The physical world allows
you to be lazy, it always remains there, while the virtual world is dependant,
existing thanks to the power of our nervous system: this is the only possible
way to transform virtual things into ‘real things’ during our interactions.
Therefore in the virtual world laziness is not permitted: the virtual world will
disappear if we do not act upon it.
Lanier observes the qualities of reality comparing it to the virtuality
we experience today. According to him, when we leave a virtual world we
can observe a curious phenomenon: the real world that surrounds us has a
‘superreal’ condition, a special texture and beauty. When we observe the
real world after a visit to the virtual world we can perceive more details, and
everything is more transparent and clear than in the virtual environment
where the main characteristic of the elements, besides their artificiality, is
their simplicity. However, Lanier is positive when predicting the future of
Virtual Reality. He believes that it will become similar to language, or at
least, a different version of it. It has the potential to be a kind of
communitarian service where we can share our dreams and where ideas
develop in social collaboration. He defines this as post-symbolical
communication, a time that will come in the future when a new generation
will adopt the habit of inventing virtual worlds and will acquire the ability to
improvise ‘new realities’ (Leeson, 2000: 23-27). Virtual Reality is therefore
certainly more than a language. It is a conglomeration of languages where the
novelty is not the codes that are being used, but their utilization: the
peculiar relationship between signs, referents and users. In this sense, virtual
knowledge denies the possibility of stable semantic limits able to fix a certain
meaning. Barrie Sherman and Phil Judkins share this vision and explain that
‘Virtual Reality can transmit a universal language. It is a perfect medium
through which to communicate in what will be difficult times. Common
symbols will emphasize common humanity, expose common difficulties and
help with common solutions’ (Sherman and Judkins, 1993: 134). Technology
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