How are we Connected to Each Other?
How are
we Connected
to Each Other?
Technology, whether it be through social media, devices or online gaming, has given people the power to communicate and spend time connecting with others across the globe. People have become friends, partners, etc just from engaging in digital spaces. News is updated and accessible in real time in order to connect to those living in the world around you. Messaging and communication apps allow friends and family to stay in touch when in-person visits are not an option. Entertainment, art, creation, ideas, and all forms of expression can be shared, discussed and create community all from technology.
Despite the increase in overall social interactions through technology, studies have shown that online relationships tend to be “weak ties”. Yes platforms and devices are used to connect but people are feeling more isolated than ever. When considering face-to-face social interaction, people are showing less care in social interactions. Next time you are in an academic building, restaurant or any social gathering look around, how many people are chatting face to face? How many are looking down at their devices ignoring or passively listening to those around them? Technology has allowed people millions of miles away to connect and yet, individuals in the same room feel more distant than ever.
Technology, whether it be through social media, devices or online gaming, has given people the power to communicate and spend time connecting with others across the globe. People have become friends, partners, etc just from engaging in digital spaces. News is updated and accessible in real time in order to connect to those living in the world around you. Messaging and communication apps allow friends and family to stay in touch when in-person visits are not an option. Entertainment, art, creation, ideas, and all forms of expression can be shared, discussed and create community all from technology.
Despite the increase in overall social interactions through technology, studies have shown that online relationships tend to be “weak ties”. Yes platforms and devices are used to connect but people are feeling more isolated than ever. When considering face-to-face social interaction, people are showing less care in social interactions. Next time you are in an academic building, restaurant or any social gathering look around, how many people are chatting face to face? How many are looking down at their devices ignoring or passively listening to those around them? Technology has allowed people millions of miles away to connect and yet, individuals in the same room feel more distant than ever.
Connection to the The Nether
Connection to
The Nether
Behind each avatar that exists in the Hideaway is a person in the real world and though they are not in the same room interacting as themselves, what comes into question is the emotional connection and attachment they create. Is the connection real between the characters? Or is it only as real as the VR world they interact in? Is there real emotion and care behind the avatars or is it all for show? On the other hand, in the real world people abandon family and close relationships for an escape in The Nether creating an isolated reality for those in the real world.
Quotes
“My father was a shade, and what I wanted most from him was a relationship here on this earth!” (Hailey 52)
”Your agents listed facts in his report. But the next time you have a chat by the water cooler, don’t ask him, what did you see? What did you do? Ask him, "What did you feel?” (Hailey 24)
Challenge
For the next week, refrain from using electronics during every meal. It does not matter who it is with, where it takes place, what it is. Do not have a device on the table, in your hand, or in field of vision. Instead practice and appreciate being in the moment, paying attention to the person or things around you and engage in meaningful interactions through giving undivided attention.
Write about your experience HERE, whether it be a success or struggle, share any changes you have noticed.
*Note, all answers are anonymous but may be shared anonymously on the hub or in the engagement space as part of an installation. If you do not want that please do not fill it out.
Behind each avatar that exists in the Hideaway is a person in the real world and though they are not in the same room interacting as themselves, what comes into question is the emotional connection and attachment they create. Is the connection real between the characters? Or is it only as real as the VR world they interact in? Is there real emotion and care behind the avatars or is it all for show? On the other hand, in the real world people abandon family and close relationships for an escape in The Nether creating an isolated reality for those in the real world.
Quotes
“My father was a shade, and what I wanted most from him was a relationship here on this earth!” (Hailey 52)
”Your agents listed facts in his report. But the next time you have a chat by the water cooler, don’t ask him, what did you see? What did you do? Ask him, "What did you feel?” (Hailey 24)
Challenge
For the next week, refrain from using electronics during every meal. It does not matter who it is with, where it takes place, what it is. Do not have a device on the table, in your hand, or in field of vision. Instead practice and appreciate being in the moment, paying attention to the person or things around you and engage in meaningful interactions through giving undivided attention.
Write about your experience HERE, whether it be a success or struggle, share any changes you have noticed.
*Note, all answers are anonymous but may be shared anonymously on the hub or in the engagement space as part of an installation. If you do not want that please do not fill it out.
BACK
BACK
We acknowledge that this theatre and the university that holds it stand on the traditional territories of the Attawandaron (also known as the Neutral), Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is in Block 2 of the Haldimand Tract, land promised in 1784 by the British Crown to the Haudenosaunee of the Grand River in recognition of their alliance during the American Revolution.
This territory, which includes six miles on either side of the Grand River, is governed by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum, an agreement that teaches that the land is a shared dish from which we all eat, and that we carry collective responsibilities: to take only what we need, to ensure there is enough for others, and to keep the dish clean for those who come after us. It is an agreement rooted in care, reciprocity, and stewardship.
Gathering here in this theatre, on this land, within this agreement, means recognizing that welcome comes with responsibility. It asks us to consider how we move through shared spaces, how we care for one another, and how the systems we build shape access, safety, and belonging as equal partners.
We acknowledge that this theatre and the university that holds it stand on the traditional territories of the Attawandaron (also known as the Neutral), Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is in Block 2 of the Haldimand Tract, land promised in 1784 by the British Crown to the Haudenosaunee of the Grand River in recognition of their alliance during the American Revolution.
This territory, which includes six miles on either side of the Grand River, is governed by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum, an agreement that teaches that the land is a shared dish from which we all eat, and that we carry collective responsibilities: to take only what we need, to ensure there is enough for others, and to keep the dish clean for those who come after us. It is an agreement rooted in care, reciprocity, and stewardship.
Gathering here in this theatre, on this land, within this agreement, means recognizing that welcome comes with responsibility. It asks us to consider how we move through shared spaces, how we care for one another, and how the systems we build shape access, safety, and belonging as equal partners.
