SPACES & EXCHANGES - 

Exchanges in  Real Spaces & Virtual Spaces

How far is the boundary between real and virtual spaces  becoming increasingly blurred nowadays?

  - Description - Meaning - Conclusion: Link with Notion - 

Ace Computers by Harvey Schwadron: 

First of all, we can see on this poster that we are in the street (in an ordinary way: a garbage can, car, shop...).

On the right, a man is carrying a briefcase, he is standing in front of a computer shop which seems to interest him. We can see him taking a look at the shop which remains the key element of this poster.  At the front of this shop, we can read clearly:

"Welcome, Eco-tourists! Why travel and add to pollution? Stay home and visit exotic travel web sites! ".

This puts eco-tourist travellers in the spotlight, i.e. people who travel in an ecological way. Eco tourist is originally a company that organizes holidays in places of natural beauty in a way that helps local people and does not harm the environment.

 Here the emphasis is on the importance of technology and computers. The marketing strategy of the shop is then to highlight that even ecological travel pollutes and that technology makes it possible to stay at home while visiting all kinds of destinations from home. This reduces pollution and travel costs, especially as it is easier to organize. Thanks to the internet it is now possible to visit any place we want to 'visit' in just one click! This way we can travel across our screens. 

However, this poster remains ironic.. Because traveling while looking at our computer is not the 'ideal trip', hardly if we can use the word travel... I think it doesn't care about the limits of the internet, and the exchange between the real and the virtual world... 

  Working From Home, by Mark Dubovsky :

This second cartoon highlights a new mode in which real space can be established in a virtual space. 

Indeed, we can observe two computers on a desktop on which each of them has a face. On these desks, the two chairs are empty. But we can distinguish a small dialogue between the people represented on the screen.

 One says, "Hey Greg,  you gonna be at work today?" and the other says, "No man. Working from home. You?"

It's true that Télé work is often used. It's a very practical and frequently used work technique.  That is to say that work can be done from home and that by the simple use of a computer.  It is then very simple to communicate whether by skype, Watsap, facebook, cam, or audio call and that on all types of social networks and applications. 

The link with the notion of spaces and exchanges would be that these two characters represent a way of working and this in a virtual space while staying in contact through the internet. 

This allows them to function exactly as they do at work but in their own homes.

We can conclude by noting that the boundary between real and virtual spaces becoming increasingly blurred nowadays :

Indeed, we live in an era in which technology is taking more and more place in our lives. This phenomenon allows us to be in two spaces at the same time but it has both positive and negative points.

 Exchanges take place in constant ways, but they will become 'fuzzy' and non-existent because they are carried out through the internet and computer but no more in real ways. 

For example, telework and the reduction of pollution from airplanes are good points. It is now possible to work from home while keeping in touch with the rest of the employees, colleagues etc.. 

It is also possible to keep in touch with people on the other side of the world, 

but up to what limits? 

Screensavers can be frightening and abusive, they create the laziness and cut us off from the real world ...