MEDIATION BY MEDIA

Made an interesting observation today. As I was wandering with varying degrees of aimlessness through a mall, trying to reconcile myself to a food-court lunch, I passed a small TV that was part of a display for a kiosk selling something-or-other. The TV was showing off one of those soccer videogames. There was a goalie, obscured by the side of his net. Then the goalie moved out from behind the net-screen, and I realized with some surprise that this was in fact a broadcast of a real-life soccer game.

My first thought was, "Gee, these sports videogames sure are getting realistic." But following immediately on the heels of that thought was this one: in what way are they realistic? Sports videogames don't strive for a realistic representation of what it's like to play the game of soccer. They don't even strive for a realistic representation of what it's like to be a spectator at a soccer game. Instead, they strive for a realistic representation of what it's like to watch a soccer game on TV.

There's something a little disconcerting about that. It's as though our entire experiential framework, our mode of interacting with the world, is becoming increasingly mediated by the way the media packages our entertainment. Activity as a videogame on our X-perience-box consoles. Conversation as cell-phone blather, or emoticons on a computer screen. Life as reality TV.

I think we all need to get out more.