We live in a world where technology rules and the line between reality and digitalization is very blurry. Now as much as I am a fan of movies such as Avatar and other digitized movies, I have to say it would be ridiculous to have everything digitized. There is something different in the connection with an actual human being than there is with a digital picture. My opinion comes very strongly on the music side of the digital realm. I refuse to follow musicians who are completely digitized. As a vocalist, having a person, who is human, who understands and works hard at what they do is important. That connection with someone who has passion for the same thing as I do is so important. Because the one most important thing that people want in the world is connection. Therefore digital singers, and actors seem to be enjoyable, people (i believe) will still want to other side of things. The humanity aspect of those entertainment venues.

Agreed–digital media definitely blur traditional roles and consumer practices. Thinking in recording industry terms, I’d say this is very true when it comes to podcasting. Podcasts allow everyday music fans to become their own personal djs or even djs for the world to hear. “Almost anybody who wants to create a show can prerecord a batch of favorite music, complete with narration, as an audio file on a personal computer or smartphone or MP3 player,” scholar John Vivian notes. This definitely allows that “dj” to bypass radio and CDs for traditional fulfillment of entertainment needs and possibly creates an unrealistic picture for that individual of life as a dj. (Okay, a little bit drastic. I hope people creating podcasts at home don’t really think they’re professional djs.) But, it does have the possibility to create that false perception or distort reality–maybe even for people who come across the podcast. Or, what about radio personalities? It’s easy to have an idea of who someone is or what they look like by listening to their news programming on the radio every morning, but are you just creating a false image? Do you really know who they are or are you making up an unrealistic picture based on what you hear? Just a thought on how sound media influence “reality” through blurred lines.

In relation to sound media, the focus of this week’s module, I think digitization is interesting because it’s blurring the lines between delivery and performance. The music industry attorney, Wallace Collins mentioned it in his video “Why the future is bright,” and I think he’s really on to something. One of my favorite bands sells “digital passes” where you can live-stream their concerts. Is that performance? Is that delivery? Technology has really made this blending possible, in all kinds of exciting ways.

On another note, digital bands are not new. Gorillaz is an old favorite of mine, and the “band” consists of one musician and an animator. I think it’s interesting because it blurs the lines between different media. Is it a band? Is it a cartoon? For the Gorillaz, the answer is both. They’re a collection of stories and songs that make up the world of the “band members.” The world the “gorillas” live in is as much as part of the “band” as the music they create. I think it’s one of the best examples of old media making use of new tools.

What is interesting to me is how the media can so often accurately predict what the future will hold when it comes to media and technology. This is especially true for the science fiction genre of entertainment because so much of what writers from the past predicted about the future has been accurate. S1mOne was not the first example of creating a digital star. In 1994 a Japanese animated theatrical movie called “Macross Plus” predicted Aimi and Hatsune almost exactly. The fim is set in the late 21st century where there is a popular pop star called “Sharon Apple.” Sharon is a digital hologram who can perform in front of live audiences all around the world simultaneously. The performances involve singing and dancing that is almost hypnotic in nature which manages to captivate much of the world’s population. It is later revealed that Sharon is not a real person, but a program designed by the government to distract the populace from noticing increasing restrictions on personal freedom. This raises the ethical question of what can and should be portrayed as “real.” Does the media have a responsibility to tell us if singing stars or characters in films are actually lifelike digital creations?

Kristin makes a really good point about the band Gorillaz blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. That, as she states, “they’re a collection of stories and songs that make up the world” I think simply amplifies the creative experience for their fans. When fans go to movies or concerts or watch music videos, there’s a natural separation of fantasy versus reality there. No one would wonder if the Gorillaz world is real, just as no one believes the Harry Potter series is real. It’s clear they are not.

What I struggle with, as Justin mentioned, is when fantasy is sold as reality. That was the premise of S1mOne, of making people believe she was a real actress. That’s what the band AKB48 did when it tried to make people believe Aimi Eguchi was real. That’s what magazines do when they use Photoshop to remove all “flaws,” making the images fiction but allowing readers to see them as real. Any time someone is held up as the image of perfection can be damaging to impressionable youth, as they then tend to strive to live up to this ideal. When the ideal is actually fiction, it’s even more damaging because no person can actually live up to what that depiction represents. Just as the trusteeship concept made sure radio was serving “the public’s good,” I believe someone needs to do the same with the recording industry and the visual images we use in media.

As interesting as I find this idea to be, I also feel a little wary about it. There was a Disney channel movie at one point called “Pixel Perfect” that I remember seeing when I was younger and finding really interesting. In the movie, a girl is created through a computer program and she is given the skills to sing and play instruments among other talents. However, a young man ends up finding the line to be blurred when he realizes he has real feelings for this “girl”. I think that is the aspect of this whole idea that causes me to feel a bit nervous. People already view stars as something more than what they are, which is human. I think that if there began to be superstars created to “perfection” that were amazing performers with the best hair, complexion, and body, people would begin to blur the lines of reality. One way in which this would be an issue is when young men and women are looking at this image of someone that is created to what is thought to be utter perfection. However, it is unreachable because the person is literally created on a computer to have that effect. Therefore, when young people begin to believe that they need to look and be just like these stars it will create even more of an issue with things like identity, self confidence, and eating disorders than already exist today. Although the idea seems incredibly interesting, I think that humans have a hard enough time dealing with other humans and bringing in these types of things in large scales (which would happen if the idea caught on) may have negative effects as well. Or it may be completely harmless and innovative, who knows!

The fact that digital performers are taking the world by storm is slightly disturbing, but I think it’s quite innovative. Indeed, today’s technology allows people to do things creatively that they were never able to do in the past. I heard that James Cameron developed the idea for Avatar a long time ago. He simply waited until the time that technology had advanced to the point where he could create this world that he envisioned. And who would have thought that Elvis would be back from the dead after all these years?

I think that there is something mesmerizing about all of these digital performers. The fact that it’s not real may have something to do about why people are so intrigued with it. Like a fantasy or sci-fi movie, or a cartoon, it appeals to your imagination.

I also heard about this project that is slightly eerie, but interesting. A company used human-gesture recognition as well as personalized speech modeling to create a very lifelike animated Ronald Reagan speaking about current events. It’s almost as if the Gipper really is sharing his thoughts from the afterlife.

As this technology improves, it may come to the point where we no longer know the difference between what is real or not. People may use this technology for personal gain or evil. Imagine a hologram of the President giving permission to nuke innocent civilians, or something in the same manner. That is a scary thought.

Although innovative and fun, I find the idea of bringing people “back to life” a little disturbing and a little bit disrespectful. I don’t know why but it kind of puts a bad taste in my mouth. I find the idea of fake music stars to be very humorous. I don’t see the purpose or value behind it. But then again, I don’t live in Asia so that might make a little bit of a difference. I am excited to see what technology progresses to in the future and to see what other crazy ideas people think of.

As a singer, I find this very alarming and heartbreaking. It’s pretty shocking how people can enjoy an auto-tuned made up voice. What does this mean for the music industry or for people who have a pure natural talent? A lot has to do with our generation being caught up in the virtual world. What we classify as reality has differed over the years. Pretty soon, will be paying to go to Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston concerts despite they being dead. But of course, this is all part of the idea of creating more business.

It is interesting to see the change in digital media over my own lifetime. Although I appreciate digital movies such as Avatar and others like it, I have found that the production of the movies very intriguing. I am concerned how the cinema will be portrayed in the future. If directors now are creating their perfect image through digital enhancements and surrogate characters, will the future be filled digital enhance people and surrogate bodies? The media through cinemas and other sources is a huge influence on society. If society now is basing their appearance on the media, the future will look very different from what we are use too. I believe that Natural talent and natural beauty will slowly be put under the desk and buried by media and society in general because all we are concerned about is that perfect picture, that perfect body, that perfect voice. That is not what are called to do. We were made with our own talents, our own style and personality to better the world in our own way. If the digital enhance becomes the new natural I think we are in all trouble. The world will not function or behave in the same way. Although that is a very far-fetch opinion. There is a correlation to God’s creation and human creation. Human creation will always be the wrong vision, because God created beauty in his own image.

I think the authenticity of musicians is very important. Why should they get paid so much and be loved by millions if they do not actually have talent? Plus, when they do a live show they must please the audience who paid to see them and they cannot rely on digitalized sound enhancement. However, when it comes to movies, I think the digital technology has benefitted movies tremendously. We are able to feel like the character or scenery is real and that helps us to escape from where we are for the length of the movie. I do not think digital technology is a bad thing when it comes to movies.

It is interesting seeing people look up to and idolize people that aren’t even real. But again, I think that is what culture has made us do. We look up to celebrities, models, and other ideas of “perfection” that is not attainable for the normal person. These models and people we see are airbrushed versions of real people, and even they can’t attain perfection. Yet we think that we must be like them in order to achieve something in life. I think media and pop culture is shifting to the “ideal” of everything, even so that we have to have a holographic image of someone we want to be like.

I feel like they are going overboard with technology to the point where it’s a little ridiculous. There’s nothing wrong with seeing concerts with real singers. I’d hate to pay for something that’s essentially a lie. Although I’ll admit, it’s a cool concept but there is really no need for this kind of technology. Innovators should be using their brains for more useful things. I feel like we are losing touch with real life. We are all glued to our phones, laptops, e-readers, and now fake holographic people. Most of these technological advances are pretty unnecessary.

I think the part with the non real actress is a little interesting. i think its pretty crazy what you can do with technology. but i think it should focuse less on media needs and more on real needs for real causes not celebrity publicity. if

We live in a world where technology has made things come to life. And this article just portrayed to us that my statement is very accurate and true. I had no idea that there were digital avatars. I thought they were just in movies. This absolutely blows my mind how much technology has grown over the years. This honestly creeps me out a little bit though. What i mean is that if technology is so high right now and if it keeps growing then what else are they going to create that is above and beyond the “digital avatar”? I can’t imagine something being cooler than that. But then again when I wanted the razor phone and thought that it was just the coolest form of technology, then the iPhone came out. Technology keeps improving over the years and it will continue to improve and blow our minds.

as we get further and further into this technology hole, even music is changing. Now, people are so busy with autotune to the point that it’s a question of if it’s a person or not. Now, i don’t sing, but i do play instruments, and sometimes, hearing this stuff is brutal. 2012 makes me wonder what will the music sound like in ten years. Will we be over autotune, or will it keep getting bigger? Especially since that is what most radio stations consist of.

I think that the obsession with the new findings of what technology can now do or do better has everyone in a daze. It is crazy how much is not necessarily real anymore. Many artists are auto-tuned and practically everyone on the big screen are made to look more attractive through photoshop. I think that technology is amazing, but it is drawing people away from reality at times. I think that many people need to start looking past the need for perfection because perfection is unattainable. Making new programs to make something/someone look or sound better is not going to get someone that far if they lack whatever it is that they are trying to make up for, even if it has gotten them pretty far today.

I think the concept of graphic images using CGI and holograms is quite fascinating. However, there is some part of me that thinks this will take away from the various art forms in which they are trying to penetrate. I sometimes think that with recent developments in holograms, people are becoming so distracted with them that they are disregarding actual human beings playing music or acting in movies. Then, I am also torn between another part of me that thinks “aren’t holograms a form of art too?” And they are. It’s just hard for me to view them as that, when they are essentially a crazy combination of computer codes and lights. But then I think, someone had to take a lot of time and effort to create that, which could then be that person’s form of art. With all of this being said though, I don’t foresee CGI performers taking over the industry any time soon. There is still something about a human being performing on stage, that appeals to an audience. It’s tangible. That fact alone beats out the holograms.

I think it’s really weird how we as a modern civilization have become so efficient at CGI that we blurr the line between reality and mere copies. It is a hard concept to grasp because i love some aspects of it but some not so much. For example I love how it makes movies so much more believable and the action scenes so much more intense. It makes fanasy characters real life such as aliens or monsters. The scary part for me is when they use CGI for real people for example the article about the Japanese pop singer. I just personally feel that why is there the need to create new fake people when we already have humans. Ecspecially when they pose as real people. It almost takes away the specialness of the other real human pop singer. Its like comparing a a human who runs across country and someone who drives it. Both are impressive but one more than the other.

I think this was an interesting debate of content. Does something matter if it is real or not based on sales? Personally, I don’t believe it matters as long as it sells. The point is to get entertainment, and if that can be done through technology then there is no harm other than job loss to humanity. I think cartoons are a great example of this. Of course a human voice is needed to portray a character, but the cartoon itself is what is laughed at. I think this sort of digital media is something that may hold greater value in the future while technology is only becoming more advanced and concepts are only getting more interesting to the audience of the world.

Technology continues to develope more and more each day. The ability is has is appalling at times. The fact that avatars can be created and take control of a scene is amazing. It is also scary to think that people could lose out on opportunities and jobs because of characters being created. They would be replaced if we think far much more into it. It is definitely amusing and makes movies, for example, a lot more believable and realistic(depending on the genre). The things that technology continues to create is crucial in seeing the vast capabilities. It would be silly or absurd to take all human interaction out because then we wouldn’t completely relate. The combination of human and avatar completes the scenario and engages the audience completely.

As our world grows more and more out of our control, I believe people will turn to fake images of movies, music, concerts, theater, etc. as a way to numb themselves and ignore the fact that our world is falling apart. The entertainment industry is going to continue to move in this direction because they know everybody is looking for an “escape” and if they can create that best through CGI (computer generated images) than, I believe, that’s how they are going to do it.

For me, there is a big difference between fantasy and falsehood. When I watch Avatar, I know the characters are not real. I guess that is true for all movies. We know the actors are doing what their name implies: acting. So when I listen to a singer, I assume they are doing what their name implies: singing. I love music. I love recorded music and live music. So, when I listen to a CD I love, and then find the live singer to be aweful, it ruins the CD for me. I strongly dislike autotune and melodine. Yet, even live, it is possible to utilyze them today. When I listen to musicians, I want to be like them. So it is disappointing for me when I find out they can’t actually play or sing. I imagine it is like a huge wrestling fan finding out that the WWE is not real full-contact. Some people still watch WWE, but for many of us, it loses its integrity by being fake. I hope that some musician continue to value actual talent and accept that sometimes they might sing a note wrong. It is performing with vulnerability that makes it honest.

I think that “Aimi,” a fake performer and artist, is not as acceptable as a fake character in a movie or a TV show. As a music artist or a band, they are suppose to be people who contain some type of natural gift and make art and music out of it. It is because of these things that they become famous in the first place. It is much more accepting to see a fake or animated character because they do not poses the same talents. I feel that there will always be a demand for a musical artists natural talents. This is shown by people getting upset when they find out that a live performer was lip synching. These musical artists are made famous so that they can make money off of their talents, and by having a man-made talent is like a disgrace to the industry.

I can understand the need for digitally created characters in movies to portray characters or things humans cannot replicate. In the music industry, I do not agree with the use of digitally created music “stars”. I feel as though CGI has amazing visual benefits that add to a movie that benefits the overall experience. The fiction is known before walking into the theater. However, I feel as though creating a perfect, digital fake musician takes away from the integrity and raw, emotional experience that one can receive from a live concert or show.

I truthfully do not know how to feel about this one. This means that we are slowly pulling away from reality to a pseudo-reality that could eventually dominate the market. Even though technological advances are good and can do good things, I think that once every thing becomes a hologram or a digital image than we are getting sucked into something that we may never want. CGI is good but there is a certain specialness when a real human performs a real song and the audience can see passion and desire. A hologram may not provide that minus a good, well played song. I think that the more we rely on these things the more people will not leave their homes and just sit on the internet. There will eventually be a time where going outside would not be needed because once these holograms get cheaper, I would not be surprised to see live concerts in their own home. This is very interesting but also very scary in the sense of where this could take humanity.

Honestly, it’s incredibly concerning to me that holograms and computer-generated music have become sensationalized to the point of sold out concerts and obsessed fans. This proves that the more that we become obsessed with a digital world, the more we disconnected we become from reality and humanity. If we end up looking to CGI’s as role models and inspirations, we will no longer be able to appreciate the beauty of the natural. I guess I am just concerned about where the line should be drawn or if we have crossed it.

Humanity is consistently striving for perfection. With more and more advancements in technology, medicine and even entertainment, we are further testing and pushing the boundaries of every sector of our lives. This extends all the way down to entertainment. With this in mind, I feel as though we are always taking the wrong roads to complete ourselves in all of the wrong ways. This (as in the holograms that sing, dance and just so happen to look like humans)is the prime example of us traveling down the wrong road. Music entertainment used to be a personal thing. A connection between people, a story being told from one to another; music used to be more. It seems as though this connection is being distorted and we find that people are trying desperately to reconnect in the best way they can in an ever changing world.

I remember in 2004, a movie was released on Disney Channel called Pixel Perfect about this very idea. In the movie, main character Loretta Modern is a holographic human pop star. The movie, in typical Disney fashion, is cheesy and intertwined with an overused teenage love plot line. However, eight years later, the underlying message about our innate desire to reach perfection, even at the cost of reality, rings truer than ever. When it comes to life-like CGI creations, I personally have mixed feelings. On one hand, it is impressive to realize just how far we have come with technology. But at the same time, it is worrisome that physical human beings, with real voices, faces, and emotions,are considered less satisfying and entertaining than an imitation. At the end of the move Pixel Perfect, Loretta’s friends decide that they must “delete” her because they were forming a real attachment to something that was in the end, only a collection of pixels. Just like there is a line between enjoying fictional literature and believing in it, there is a line between appreciating CGI and connecting with it more than real people.

First off I have to say that this is somewhat scary…What if we were to wake up tomorrow and found out that the world as we know it is non- real, non-existent. This blog brings movies like the Matrix, AI, and I, Robot and Total Recall into mind and plays on what if. Movies, such as Simone, prove how desperate we are as humans to be one step ahead of nature. We want to have that perfect person, but that person doesn’t exist. So we push our limits and our brains to create people in worlds that don’t exist, and we either interject ourselves into those worlds, or create someone and interject them in our world. Either way, this should be a wakeup call to all citizens because God only knows when the “perfect” president might come along, only to find out he really isn’t real (The Manchurian Candidate anyone?) In the end, technology is only as good as it serves a purpose, if this is its purpose, to create people, then let’s go back to the caveman era.

The first thing I thought of upon reading this blog was Wahlberg’s “Ted.” As a fan of the movie, I didn’t even take notice or concern of the fact that the anatagonist was a digital creation. Yes, I knew that Ted was not in fact a real talking teddybear, but the CGI animation was so incredibly done that a scene juxtaposing a human male and a digital bear–in my opinion–wasn’t the least bit distracting. Although the idea of a digital superstar is a bit disconcerting, I think the advancement of CGI has been an incredible feat. Films like “Avatar” and the “Harry Potter” movies wouldn’t be the same without the technology. Albeit, I will admit that the line become reality and CGI becomes increasingly more blurry. I do worry that a time will come when said technology takes precedence over real vocal talent or acting abilities. That would result in a massive destruction of art.

The whole idea of fake actors and musical performers is very interesting to say the least. With movies, I think that is great and can add a lot to a film, especially when it comes to certain movie characters like Ted. I am not totally sure how i feel about the CGI music artists though. It is one thing to have a concert where a musical performer has past away and they CGI them in a way to make it seem like they were back to do another concert. I have friends that attended the Coachella Music Festival this past year and they said that a former rapper, that has been dead for a while now named 2Pac, was created into a CGI character onstage and they said it unreal. They loved it and could not stop talking about it. I personally think that would be amazing to go see. But when it comes to just purely made up and fake singers like the one in Japan, I think that might be taking it a little too far. But if the fans are fine with knowing their musical icons are completely made up and never existed I guess its ok. It’s just kind of sad to think that people are totally ok with that and actually enjoy it.

The digital age is a wonderous thing and CGI and hologram technology has definitely put a large twist on the media industry. It does serve positive effects such as virtual appearance of non-present people; however, it does pose more concerning problems especially within entertainment and performance ethics. CGI definitely throws a curveball into the entertainment industry. I believe it a great addition to the film industry, but when it comes to live entertainment… Is it really okay to present fake holographic images as reality? I think that it is good to a certain extent, but when these images are replacing real people, singers, actors, or anyone for that matter, it is just absurd.

The digital age is a wonderous thing and hologram technology has definitely put a large twist on the media industry. The whole idea of fake actors and musical performers is very interesting to say the least. With movies, I think that is great and can add a lot to a film, especially when it comes to certain movie characters like Ted. i like the holographic images especially the recent one of tupac shakur. but i think its only good to a certain extent. i dont want to see them make fake entertainers to star in movies or films. that would be a slap in the face to people who have ambition and dreams of getting into the acting world

With the advancement of technology, comes a need for perfection. It is becoming so advanced that we begin to expect things to work without any flaws. As we expect this from technology, we also begin to expect this from people. Entertainers, such as musicians, can only be so good. With technology, they can create a sound that alters what is being played, and add an element of perfection to it. When this happens, we end up creating things such as a Simone and Aimi, where we demand such perfection, that the entertainer or musician becomes something completely unreal. Depending on who you are, this is either acceptable or not. For me, I feel that I can enjoy a true musician and their talent that they posses. It is hard for me to appreciate something that is perfected through technology, and doesn’t necessarily posses talent.

It is absolutely mind-boggling to me that people would pay actual money to go watch a hologram perform on stage. Couldn’t you get the same exact performance on YouTube? We are slowly becoming more used to things being fake. For example, we look at a magazine in the store, we see the women in bikinis knowing full well that they are photoshopped, yet still question how they look so perfect. It is almost as though we are expectant of perfection in our own bodies because of the constant fakeness we see in other people… PRINTED people, nonetheless. We have all bought into this lie that we are not good enough, and the holograms and magazine models are our standard for reaching perfection.

We are living in a world where technology is becoming a dominating factor in all our lives. I find it absurd that people are getting upset about finding out that their favorite band/ singers are not real. They should like the band for the music primarily and but instead they correspond the image of the band with the music. I didn’t hear anyone complain when they made a hologram projection of Tupac. In fact, everyone loved it. People know he is gone and that the hologram was not real. Their is also the band Gorillaz, a band that is composed of animated characters. They are known for their characters and not many people know what these musicians actually look like. Technology is just going to improve and the instances of these virtual characters will increase.

The actual idea of holographic and unreal individuals is a particularly intriguing concept. While reading this, it took me back to almost one year ago, where the hype was in America regarding the 2 Pac hologram at Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California. It was a one time surprise appearance that left the public in awe and wonder at the technology used, and talk had even circulated regarding a potential 2 Pac hologram world tour. As seen through these musical performances, media can latch onto onlooker’s emotions that cause them to feel invested. Viewers are willing to satisfy their emotions even for something unreal in the musical world. It simply makes them feel good. The same goes for movies and Hollywood productions. Viewers are likely to put forth much more money and be invested in a movie or television show if it brings emotions to them. The realness does not seem to be factor as long as entertainment, enjoyment, and good feeling is present. These does-however, raise ethical questions and concerns regarding future developments and being able to distinguish and know what is reality and what is misleading.

The use of computer technology no longer stops at movies today. It is seen on television and used in the music industry for entertainment purposes. What I question is have we seen so much of the computer generated images that we have become unfamiliar with the reality of concerts with physical artists or what movies can portray with just actors and special effects? John Vivian states in responding to the replacing of real crowds and stunt doubles in movies, “This raised the question of whether movie actors themselves might be replaced by pixels.” (Vivian, 2011, Pg. 158). It is good to know that I am not the only one concerned with matters like these, but another issue is computer generated images (CGI) is that people have become emotionally attached to them.

Hatsune Miku, Aimi, and other CGI creations have shown just how far we have come, but they also show just how stretched our emotions can go for imagery like this. Fans feel as though these are real life tangible people. A great example besides the ones stated in the article is when a hologram of Tupac Shakur appeared at the Coachella music festival in California in April of 2012. Fans weren’t sure how to feel at first, but for some it was like he was resurrected. So the question for me remains, are we going too far by creating these imagines? From the PowerPoint “Movies”, CGI is now the dominate form used for special effects, but will it soon be the dominate form for all entertainment as well?

Technology has really overtaken the industry of music and movies. In my opinion it has made the movie industry much better, and has made the movies in today’s society much more vivid and has brought the characters to life. Movies like Iron Man, and The Avengers, these are movies where technology played a huge role in the success in these movies. Although like in stated in the blog post some of the tactics they try and that they try and use in movies cant work in the music industry. One example that helped me relate to this post was when I went to the Cochella festival last year, and they brought 2pac back, which is a rapper that was shot and killed in the summer of 1996. Speculations rose where a lot of people believed that 2pac was actually back. But the whole time they brought him back to life by making a very realistic hologram.