This week online: dispatches from VIVECON, reimagining the Internet, and attempts to censor supporters of Palestine
As the Epic v. Apple court case continues and many ponder its influence on the future construction of the metaverse, Columbia and UMass Amherst hosted their Reimagine the Internet Conference on how to approach designing and cultivating healthier digital spaces. The archived panels covered topics ranging from disinformation and media literacy to content moderation, QAnon, and Peloton.
There is outrage on social media over the censorship of users advocating for Palestinians who are being attacked and forced from their homes by the Israeli occupation. Many activists seeking to raise awareness about the violence in Sheikh Jarrah and Gaza have had their posts removed from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Access Now released a statement alongside other signatories.
Podcaster and Immerse contributor Kent Bye reported on the biggest XR-related announcements from HTC’s VIVECON in this thread. Hear more on this week’s episode of Voices of VR, where he interviews Alvin Wang Graylin, the China President at HTC.
People had fun talking about timelines and narrative in VR as opposed to other mediums such as film. This is part of an ongoing discussion in the field about how to create experiences that are unique to VR instead of just mimicking devices and structures from other art forms.
No Proscenium’s “Everything Immersive” Facebook group hosted some lively conversation on key projects and makers in the history of “immersive” work. Mentions include older experiments like María Irene Fornés’ play Fefu and Her Friends and newer projects from teams like Parabolic Theatre. Also, renaissance fairs and Disney World.
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