In my dissertation Mobile Video Communication 2005–2010 (2020), I presented the model of primary and secondary context in mobile video communication which I developed. According to the model, the primary context is a situation where we can communicate with each other without technical aids such as cameras, and the secondary context is a broader situation of time and location from where people can access primary context events by using technology such as mobile live video connections. A recording device, such as a camera, allows a secondary context to be created, and recording and sharing a situation acts as a boundary between these contexts. I want to challenge this model of mine now a little bit.
Aren’t we always connected to each other and our environment in one way or another, regardless of location and time? At the level of thoughts and feelings at least, surely anyone can agree on that. What if it’s possible that you can at least occasionally see another person’s thoughts or feel his or her feelings, let’s say in your dreams, or when he or she walks past you on the street. Provocatively, it could be said that in that case, good bye videophones, internet, and context boundaries.
The boundary between the primary and secondary contexts that I have proposed in my model to consist of recording and sharing is, in this way, completely imaginary, artificial, and unnecessary. In practice, however, we hardly even want to get rid of our beloved devices, even if it was possible. So maybe we could already start designing devices which amplify our own natural electromagnetic field, for example, or which make it easier for us to tune in to the same shared frequency with our friends, and to create our own “radio channels”.
If such telepathic connection is possible, we will with no doubt want evidence of telepathically seen events and, for example, storing ideas will require new technology. Of course, that kind of brain research is already happening. Perhaps soon we will reinvent the wheel, once again, first in the form of a photograph, then video, and after that augmented reality; this time for brain electricity images and the creations of the heart’s magnetic field. In media archeology, this recurring phenomenon is called topos. Oh, and what about deepfake, that is possible also in a telepathic context, isn't it? Help! From which perspective will telepathic representations be interpreted?
We are currently witnessing an emphasized passion for measuring bodily functions, a desire to strengthen the senses and witness sensations with the help of technology, a biohacking boom. And the augmented reality (and VR) which helps us see, create, and experience the “invisible” world around us is now in full swing. Getting odours, tastes and sensations to be transferred by the technology is being studied. Mobile phone video connections help us communicate in real time around the globe and that contributed to our so to say rescue in the COVID era. Praising technology instead of ourselves can take us farther and farther away from ourselves, but I claim that the emphatic use of equipment in issues like this can also be an intermediate stage that awakens in us our own natural latent abilities and the understanding that these types of super senses could be available also without equipment. Wonder if telepathic communication would help us to be more present and look at ourselves from the inside out, whether we were still or even more “unembodied”.
Could we think that if the device is capable of this, then I myself must be able to, too. You too, must have experienced so-called synchronicity, for example, that when the phone rings, you already know in advance who is calling, or that when you dream of your friend, they will call you right in the morning. Of course, equipment and services may still be, and no doubt are, necessary, for one reason or another, but I think scientists and designers should now also think about the fact that we ourselves are electromagnetic beings and directly connected to the universe and ourselves. Measuring is interesting but maybe even without measuring we should be able to know how we are and what is happening in our environment. Isn’t that right?
When an earthquake occurs below the Earth's surface, the Earth signals it with electromagnetic waves, which we can freely measure from the atmosphere. Measuring those waves can help us for example, in tsunami preparedness. The phenomenon is different from northern lights but, with the freedom of the artist, I think of these waves emitted by the Earth as if the northern lights rising from the centre of the Earth and visible or sensate on the surface of the Earth and in the sky. Animals seem to be able to prepare for tsunamis without equipment. And as well known, birds navigate using magnetic fields without compasses. So, it should not be mystified that we are all electromagnetic wave motion and are also able to sense and utilize this self-created field. So, could we think that if a bird, so why not me too, if an elephant, then why not me too. There can be a natural “northern lights connection” between us, as long as we first learn to become sensitive to such and rely on our own inner knowledge and feelings. Where would it be better to reflect and develop this, than in Lapland under the glow of the northern lights, the Sun and the Earth communicating with each other around us!
My text is perhaps provocative and hypothetical but hopefully inspiring! Personally, I strongly experience synchronicity and so-called telepathy is normal in my world, as is technology. If you are interested in talking more about the topic, welcome to my frequency (or you can also contact me by email, for example).
Erika Reponen graduated from Laukaa High School in 1993. She graduated from the University of Lapland with a Bachelor of Arts in 1999, a Master of Arts in 2003 and a Doctor of Arts in 2020. Reponen's work history includes 18 years at Nokia Corporation, developing user interfaces and concepts, advancing from the Nokia Communicator 9210’s graphic designer to a senior researcher at the Nokia Research Center, working in a wide range of telecommunications. Today, she works via her own company – Erika Reponen Art. Science and art, in her view, support each other, creating an entity. The dimensions of communication are her great interest.
Contact:
erika.reponen(at)gmail.com
https://erikareponen.com
Literature:
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