Representations of Technology in Her
Question :
Servant or Master? Representations of Technology in Her
First, Watch the film (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9eLyKZUtK4&t=3644s)
Spike Jonze’s Her forecasts how we might live in the future but also depicts to a startling and, perhaps, disturbing degree how we live today: increasingly reliant upon technologies that not only provide our entertainments and deliver myriad conveniences but that also insinuate themselves into our most private thoughts, feelings, and relationships. In short, the film is not merely a projection of some far-off future, but a mirror that reflects back to us an image of our current lives and selves. This essay will afford you the opportunity to muse upon, and to advance your understanding of, our current circumstances and the technologies that shape and govern them.
The following guidelines will assist you, though you need not limit yourselves to the questions I raise. Others may occur to you that you think will deepen your analysis, and I invite you to pursue them
1. Overview (plot): Describe the film briefly by noting the significant features of its setting and plot, and by noting the significant traits of its main characters. In effect, provide a coherent summary of the film—one that will make sense even to readers who have not seen it. In your view, does the film warrant our attention? Why or why not?
(plot should be maximum of 2 page)
2. Analysis: Identify and analyze the film’s principal themes by examining in detail those scenes that best reveal and illustrate those themes. (These themes will emerge from your response to the readings in this unit, and from your own insights into the film.) What, ultimately, do you take to be the central meaning of the film and why do you think so?
3. Philosophical Speculation: How should we understand this meaning in relation to the way we currently use technology to conduct our lives and to conceive of what it means to be human? What are the potential benefits and risks of those technologies the film represents—in terms of advances in efficiency and convenience; in knowledge and consciousness; in human connection, companionship, and love? Does the film help us to think about these matters productively or does it simplify and, ultimately, misrepresent them? And what parallels might you see between what the film describes and what Plato discusses in “Allegory of the Cave”?
4. Be sure to consider the attitudes and beliefs of your audience (members of this class and of the university community at large). Be sure, also, to provide a clear thesis—an explicit statement of your argument. To help you develop your ideas, be sure to incorporate at least four paraphrases or summaries from the assigned readings. (Of the minimum requirement of four citations, be sure to include at least one paraphrase and one summary. Do not, for example, include four summaries but no paraphrase.) Your essay should be 6 double-spaced without including works cited. please use 12-point Times New Roman and follow MLA style.
Answer :
Overview
Her is an American science-fiction romantic drama film written, directed, and produced by Spike Jones that was released in the year 2013. Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) is a lonely, self-centered man who is professionally a personal letter writer for depressed people. His skills in writing were quite impressive and efficient as compared to others. The movie starts with a dilemma where Theodore is at the end of his marriage life and seeking a divorce from his wife Catherine (Rooney Mara).In the upcoming days to avoid his anxious and lonely feelings, he purchased a new artificial intelligence OS designed to evolve like humans, that had a female voice of identity known as 'Samantha' (Scarlett Johansson). Theo gradually was convinced by Samantha's approach to the ability to learn and grow psychologically (Keller et al 479-492). Slowly they started to develop a bond with their discussions over love and life and his past relations with his wife and other mere relations. He explains Samantha about his problems with Catherine for which he wants to let her go from his life. Meanwhile as days passed Theo revealed his extramarital relation with college friend Amy (Amy Adams) that caused some more disappointment in his life. Gradually in this process, Samantha became more and more intimate with Theodore. The relationship between the OS and the human now had started to convert into a love relation
Theo was invited on a double date with his office friend Paul (Chris Pratt) and his girlfriend Tatiana (Laura Kai Chen). He explained to them that Samantha was an operating system that was designed to evolve as a human. The four of them go out for the date hanging on and discussing their aspects of life. Samantha even shares her freeness of not having a physical body. As days went off Theo and Samantha’s relation became closer and closer. Samantha even tried to find out ways to meet Theo’s physical satisfaction but was unable to do so. Theo indeed never kept such expectations from her. He thus called his wife Catherine for lunch and signs the divorce papers in the process. He even explained to her about the virtual relation between him and Samantha that made Catherine even more possessive about the divorce. She thought that Theo was trying to stifle her creativity and writing skills (Douthat). For this reason, Theo gets conflicted about the relation between him and Samantha and consults with Amy about his thoughts of concern. He rather discovers that Amy was leftover by her husband due to a similar kind of virtual relationship with the artificial OS in the market. Thus he found Amy to react in a positive way regarding the OS and so he decides to continue with the existing relationship with Samantha. He went on a vacation with her where he found Samantha had helped her in achieving a new project with a famous publisher. He was highly overjoyed by her task of action. In the end, though it was found that Samantha is an operating system had to undergo several upgrades along with other OSs. Thus she was bound to leave behind Theo lonely and depressed once again. In order to start a new life, Theo, in the end, went off with Amy who was also mentally affected by the departure of her OS, finally settling down both of their lives
The whole movie “HER” was based upon the impacts of artificial intelligence and media upon our thoughts and actions of real life. It definitely should draw the attention of the viewers in the modern era of the 21st century. The movie highlights the negative and positive impacts of artificial intelligence in our lives. Though the concept is far more imaginary and fictitious, it presents a proper idea about people and the desires in personal and professional life. The climax suggests that people within the society are dependent on each other in order to maintain the proper well being of their psychological state (Marwick 1-2).
Analysis
The romantic and scientific fiction “HER” is based on the principal theme of “Loneliness and Isolation” and “Technological Impact on Psychological aspects of modern life”. The movie regards us with various positive and negative aspects of our complex lifestyle. There are instances in the film that are mind-blowing examples of pathetic love relations that come to an end after a certain time leaving behind some memories. The idea of the director is displayed in a very bright and interesting manner in the movie. The characters play some important roles in describing the needs of personal love life for an individual in order to stay mentally stable (Myers). On the other hand, the reference to artificial technology states about the advancement in our daily life. For example, technology and society have advanced to such an extent that Theodore's job is writing beautiful handwritten letters on behalf of other people, but he does so by dictating text to a computer. The technological world of the film is filled with ironic and absurd inconsistencies, showing the ways that technology can help us advance, but also have its illogic and inconsistency. Finally in the end when there is a sudden departure of Samantha due to some specific reasons, Theo once again has to switch to a humanistic relation he was urging for in reality. Thus he recalled with his college partner Amy to carry on life. This concludes that "Happiness" is the key element for the well being of human life.
Philosophical Speculation
The "HER" movie raises speculation among the Philosophers regarding the non-biological creatures like Samantha and the other OSs. Technology is a very important need in our life to move on with the modern flow. But there are some specifications and few limitations even in these artificial systems that humans have designed for a convenient and better lifestyle. As in the movie, Samantha, in the beginning, assisted Theodore in his job and also ensured that he wasn't suffering from anxiety and loneliness (Strange). With the time Theodore was becoming more and more dependent on artificial technology. The ability of the OS to evolve thoughts like humans gave rise to a virtual relationship of love between the two of them.In this way, it can be concluded that people these days are very much reliant on technology which is good to some extent. Over-dependence on their abilities may cause different problems and dissatisfaction in our psycho-philosophical state of mind. It is true that people need to use certain technological advancements to make ease in our work but we shall never opt them as compared to like a human being in the film.
The overall concepts of the film are to regulate the use of artificial intelligence and rely on the interdependence of human relations. The director Jonze has left several impacts on the audience so that they can relate their own lives with a similar kind of scenario. It encourages the viewers to be productive and self-dependent by making proper use of modern technologies. Even it conveys a message to all about the growing dependence and need for such artificial advancements within the society (Hull). People need to balance both of their ecological and technical surroundings to maintain a proper lifestyle. In the case of Theodore in the film, he was very much more reluctant towards the OS and thus in the process easily signed the divorce petition with his ex-wife Catherine. Such an abnormal behavior isn’t expected from a normal human being. So this part of the movie may be a bit contradictory in the mind of the viewers.
The “Allegory of the Cave" by Plato resembles philosophical ideas and thoughts about the way humans tend not to understand the true reality of our world. A fair bit of similarities can be found between the film “HER” and the “Allegory of the Cave". It throws a light upon the human needs and desires that fulfill their demands. Often when people are abundant from particular wants, they start to imagine that just perceive in their mind turning into strong belief (Plato 1-9). In the case of Theodore, he was bound to consider Samantha the female-voiced OS as his lover when he was suffering major problems with his ex-wife and date partners. Thus, referring back to the actual need of the person can be seen as replaced by his imaginations. These ‘Imaginations' can be referred to as the ‘Shadows' in the writing of Plato. The reference of ‘Fire' can be related to the false reality, just as in the film the relation of the OSs with their users. This concludes that every human being in an unconscious state of mind becomes a victim to a virtual set of thoughts and tries to live within that boundary.
References
Douthat, Ross. "Generation Of A Voice | National Review." Nationalreview.com. N.p., 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2019.
Hull, James R. "Her." Narrative First. N.p., 2019. Web. 14 Oct. 2019.
Keller, Michael et al. """Reading Spike Jonze's Her: A Discursion"" By Michael Keller, Jason Mcentee, Sharon Smith, And Steven Wingate." Works.bepress.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 14 Oct. 2019.
Marwick, Alice. "South Dakota State University - H.M. Briggs Library - Off Campus Login." Web.b.ebscohost.com.excelsior.sdstate.edu. N.p., 2019. Web. 14 Oct. 2019.
Myers, Scott. "Movie Analysis: “Her”." Medium. N.p., 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2019.
Plato. "Plato, Republic, Book VI: The Allegory Of The Cave." Michaelbaur.com. N.p., 2000. Web. 14 Oct. 2019.
Strange, Adario. "Why 'Her' Is The Best Movie Ever Made About The Singularity." Mashable. N.p., 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2019.
