Cover image for Infinite reality : avatars, eternal life, new worlds, and the dawn of the virtual revolution / Jim Blascovich and Jeremy Bailenson.
TITLE:
Infinite reality : avatars, eternal life, new worlds, and the dawn of the virtual revolution / Jim Blascovich and Jeremy Bailenson.
Publication Date:
2011
Publication Information:
New York : William Morrow,
Edition:
1st ed.
Physical Description:
vi, 298 p. : ill.
Additional Contributors:
Bibliography Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:
Can our brains recognize where "reality" ends and "virtual" begins? Where will technology lead us in five, fifty, or five hundred years? An unrivaled guide to our digital future that has been cited by the Supreme Court, Infinite Reality is a mind-bending "journey through the virtual universe" (Wall Street Journal). Jim Blascovich and Jeremy Bailenson, two pioneering authorities, explore the profound potential of emerging technologies and reveal how our brains behave in digital worlds. Along the way, Bailenson and Blascovich examine the timeless philosophical questions of the self and "reality" that arise through the digital experience; explain how virtual reality's latest and future forms—including immersive video games and social-networking sites—will soon be seamlessly integrated into our lives; show the many surprising practical applications of virtual reality, from education and medicine to sex and warfare; and probe further-off possibilities like "total personality downloads" that would allow your great-great-grandchildren to have a conversation with "you" a century or more after your death. Equally fascinating, farsighted, and profound, Infinite Reality is an essential guide to our virtual future, where the experience of being human will be deeply transformed.
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780061809507