Second Life Education Research

NOTE: This blog post contains a spoiler for the plot of the new movie Pulse. Although, really folks, if you don’t see it you’re not missing anything.

I just spent eight dollars to see Pulse. Why?! It’s getting horrible reviews, has a vapid plotline, minimal acting and is completely shot with a dingy blue lense that makes you want to scream at the screen “Turn on a freakin’ light!” I did have a reason, though. Pulse is about a computer virus that takes advantage of radio frequencies not usually received by hardware. The frequency is apparently the frequency of the dead *insert dramatic music here* and results in a scary “Do you want to meet a ghost?” message on the screens of computers that aren’t even plugged in. Once you watch the message (a little Ring here anyone?) the dead come to suck out your life force which makes you want to commit suicide. The entire civilized world is destroyed by the virus and those who survive are forced out of the cities and into the “dead zones” where no internet or cell phone service is available. So now, why I wanted to see the movie.

While most of us who are connected to cell phones, wireless internet etc are enthusiastic about the range of connectivity such technologies give us there are, of course, folks who think that the Web 2.0/always connected lifestyle will be the downfall of our civilization (probably the same folks who stock piled generators and powdered milk back in 1999). Pulse plays into those fears beautifully. The main characters are all college students surrounded by wireless gadgets, constantly connected to each other, and totally techy. One by one, they are eaten by the ghosty-frequency. In the end, the message of the movie is very clear: Technology will be our downfall. In two hours you are practically pummeled with the message that our dependence on technology has made us vulnerable to each other and to things we don’t understand. It’s interesting to me that such a phobia exists. If you don’t want to be connected, if you’re worried about your privacy, turn off the cell, the cable, the internet and live your life. The boogie man won’t come to get you.

Have you seen the movie? Have an opinion? Leave it in the comments. Let’s start talking!

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 17th, 2006 at 7:00 pm and is filed under Ponderings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.