CHAPTER 3

Networked communication is not a huge part of the OtherLife technology directly because people are not directly being connected through the technology. However, while it may not be physically connecting people, it is creating shared experiences for people. When people use the same experiences it brings them together because they have something in common. These experiences that they have through OtherLife are something that they may not be able to experience based on where they live or through the resources they have. 

Censorship could also be something that could be utilized by the OtherLife technology. The government is trying to get involved when they are trying to implement the confinement program and if they can use the program for that, there’s so many other things they could do with it. If the government gets to have any say in the program, they can easily control what experiences people can and can’t use. They can restrict experiences that do certain activities that the government may not approve of or visit locations that the government may have issues with. 

    The technology can also become addictive to people. We saw in the movie how exciting the technology was as Ren’s boyfriend tried it once and immediately wanted to try it again. The technology is essentially a drug, even though Ren disagrees with this, but like any other drug it can become addictive. The experiences feel so real and that can be something that people just can’t get enough of.