Body sense
Human beings experience life in and through their bodies; With the body we are born and some time later die. The body, often before our consciousness realizes, registers how we are, where we are and what is beneficial or detrimental to us. In mediated presence, which is also dependent on the body, such physical cues are not easily available. Nevertheless, technology invaded human perception of the world around and even of the self. Because the body is the instrument that records it all, because it manifests our mortality and because it's sense for what is good or bad for us is so refined, physical presence is needed when issues of ethical nature are at stake.
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ACADEMIA
The 'other' changes shape
I become more aware of my presence in the world because I notice that another person perceives my…
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ACADEMIA
I and Thou, You and not-You
In this section I want to argue that the way we are witnessed and witness other people, deeply…
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ACADEMIA
Civil and Criminal law
All societies, even all groups, invent rules by which they channel the behaviour of their…
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ACADEMIA
People I know and people I do not know
Among the crowds that characterize the many urban environments we distinguish 'the mass' and…
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ACADEMIA
To settle for certain behaviour
The concept of media schemata is crucial for research into the domain of designing presence in…
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ACADEMIA
To be raised by a computer
The last story I want to share in this section poses the question of whether there is a distinction…
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ACADEMIA
Love on the Internet
A second story I want to share is about two people communicating with each other via Internet.
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ACADEMIA
AIBO, the robotdog
The first story is about a robot dog that was made In Sony's Research Lab in Paris in 2001. Because…
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ACADEMIA
Real versus unreal
In 1935 Walter Benjamin wrote the first draft of his essay on 'Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter seiner…
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ACADEMIA
A stranger on my path
When I am confronted by a stranger on my path, I have to know whether he is really there and…
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ACADEMIA
Blurring between real and unreal
For survival, the blurring between real and unreal situations is problematic at first sight. When…
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ACADEMIA
The layers of presence
In 2004 an amazing article was written, 'The Layers of Presence: A Bio-cultural Approach to…
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ACADEMIA
Being alive
People who have died can have all sorts of presences in the variety of cultures that the human race…
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ACADEMIA
European Research: to measure being there
In science as in the arts a lot of research has been carried out that can be understood as presence…
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ACADEMIA
Industrial and commercial research: to market new experiences
In the media labs of large technological corporations around the world, and especially and foremost…
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ACADEMIA
Military research:changing scales
Military research into presence has to be mentioned here first, even though I do not intend to…