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Why I Won’t Clap for a Hologram
Technology continues to blur the line between humans and simulations — but what is this new reality we’re being lured into?
Clapping can be weird, especially when we’re at the movies. Some people cheer for characters who fall in love, or jeer for villains who get their comeuppance. People often applaud when a movie ends and the credits roll, even though the cast and crew aren’t there to bask in the outpouring of love. We do this, despite knowing that the screen is a one-way form of communication, because it’s a joyful, fleeting moment of community and solidarity, a sense that we share something with the room.
So why would we clap for a performing hologram? As I was sat in the Jorgensen Center at the University of Connecticut waiting for a hologram of the deceased opera star Maria Callas to appear on stage, I was questioning how we interact with a virtual human, and how we might feel interacting with one in the form of someone who has died. To believe the program, you’d think the company behind this performance had created the second coming of Maria Callas.
When this “Holo-Callas” took the stage, it was light-years away from the danger zone of the uncanny valley. It had a strong physical likeness, and convincingly expressive gestures with realistic, graceful…
