OK, so my daughter and I finally saw the movie Avatar last night. It was an amazing experience. There are millions of websites analyzing various aspects of the movie right now, but I want to discuss how this movie will likely impact the majority online over the next few years.
Avatar is an simply amazing accomplishment and a true milestone in filmmaking. Christianity Today has a nice review by Todd Hertz, and Pluggedin.com offers a more thorough look which is a bit more critical. Since Avatar just broke all box office records, I suspect that people will be talking about this movie for a long, long time.
So what's the immediate reaction for movie-goers? CNN describes a certain Avatar Blues in which: "James Cameron's completely immersive spectacle "Avatar" may have been a little too real for some fans who say they have experienced depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film because they long to enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora."
The articles goes on to describe how people search the Internet to learn more about Pandora and immerse themselves in "that feeling" again. It's a bit like how I feel after a big NFL football game - if my team wins and important matchup. I want to watch the replays, interviews, read blogs and get ready for next week.
Where am I going with this? I think James Cameron has given a huge, no monsterous, boost to avatars in cyberspace. Put another way, I suspect that there may be an avatar in your life - coming soon. How soon, you ask? It depends - but probably within five years and likely within a decade.
No, I'm not predicting any Pandoras coming to earth, but I am suggesting that plenty of earthlings will be running around virtual Pandora. More than that, Second Life and other virtual worlds describe what an avatar can be today. Over the next few years, we will all be using avatars like we use email today.
Don't believe me? Check out this post from Internet Evolution. Here's an excerpt:
"The patent, filed more than year ago but only recently publicized, is for 'Avatar Individualized By Physical Characteristic.' The patent's abstract says the avatar created this way 'reflects a physiological characteristic of the user, injecting a degree of reality into the capabilities or appearance.... The physical characteristics can be further extended to psychological traits associated with the physical person, including intelligence, religious beliefs, political affiliations, and hobbies that affect the rendering of an avatar.'"
So avatars in cyberspace will bring together the virtual and physical worlds in new ways. They will help us shop online, be our view (and perhaps filter) into the Internet, identify who we are, allow people to build new relationships in "virtual worlds" (like Second Life) with the "real" person being on the other side of the planet - just like in the movie.
Believe it or not, Gartner predicts that 2% of US citizens will get married in a virtual marriage by 2015, and many people are signing up today. Get this: "(Adam) Sarner predicts companies will spend more money marketing and advertising products and services to virtual “personas” by 2020 than they do in the physical world. He also says at least one city will elect a 'virtual anonymous persona' to be its mayor by 2020."
What are the implications for Christians and people of faith? That is one topic I will be discussing in 2010 in this blog. The implications for everyday life are vast, and I don't think we should run away from this topic. This trend will affect how we view the world around us and how we interact with others. Much more to come on this topic.
What are your thoughts on the movie Avatar?