televised reality
We watch movies on a screen with an implied expectation that what we see is not real. This leads to de-realization of real-life things when they are televised or shown to us as a spectacle otherwise. Think about it: you don't expect to bump into an actor you see in DVD features; they are "out there". You never think of them, perhaps, shopping at Wal-Mart, checking their GMail account, drinking Coke, among other things - and when you do, it almost feels bizarre to recognize that some of the stuff you see on TV is indeed real. I remember this effect when walking past Red Square in Moscow, which I've only seen on TV before that: the unceasing sensation that I'm in a surreal, manufactured world, because this red wall with clock towers cannot be real. It's a TV story for kids and adults. The mere fact that this dissonance can be exploited for comedic effect (case in point: Extras, although the focus of the series is a bit elsewhere) is interesting.
What's more interesting, is that the Internet has lesser effect of this: it feels more natural to see in person someone you have chatted online with using nothing but text. Could this be precisely because you have never seen their face or heard their voice, and perceive the person as a new character, if influenced by your earlier conversations?
What's more interesting, is that the Internet has lesser effect of this: it feels more natural to see in person someone you have chatted online with using nothing but text. Could this be precisely because you have never seen their face or heard their voice, and perceive the person as a new character, if influenced by your earlier conversations?