The “Art” Of Communication: The Movie Her
Just watched the movie “Her.” If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly suggest you do. If you have seen it, whoa right? I love a movie that makes you think. Think about yourself and think about the world. This movie made me do both.
There was something that was touched upon in this movie that I don’t feel was as obvious as the commentary on our obsession with technology: the idea of communication. In addition to many, many other ideas and subjects that were covered in this incredibly mind-blowing film, the idea of communication stuck out most to me. For those of you who haven’t seen it, it’s no secret that the main character embarks upon a relationship with his operating system. A relationship built solely on speaking and sharing experiences through a camera.
First off, before I delve into this idea of communication, I want to comment on how amazing it is to see a movie so intensely a subject of its time. “Her” is a movie that would only work right now, in early 2014. Taking a subject that is so prevalent and relevant to today, like dependence on technology, or more importantly, social technology and creating an exaggerated world around it was so enjoyable to watch. I loved this movie for taking us to this place, this oh so familiar place.
Aside from this obvious commentary on our superfluous use and dependence on social technologies, I feel the portrayal of the power of connecting through communication was most exciting for me. In some way, these two ideas do go hand in hand. Although some would argue the counter, that using social technologies is no way to communicate at all, I beg to differ! Some may argue that this idea of being in a relationship with our technological devices is both unnatural and harmful. Some see it as a commentary on our obsession with our iphones or ipads. I almost see it as the counter. As commentary on the power of this communication. The realness of this communication. The ability of this communication, and any communication that may not be face to face, to still bring people close together.
The main character falls completely in love with his operating system. Not through holding hands with it, or looking into its eyes, or touching its hair, but through communicating with it and sharing with it his experiences throughout the day with a camera. Some may see this as the problem! Why is he so obsessed with this device, this computer, that isn’t real? But for him it is real, and becomes real through simply talking to it. There’s so much chitter chatter regarding the genuine connections behind this way of being social. Of being social through our phones. I’ve written about this before. I believe that although different than what most people remember “being social” to be, this is our way of being social. Today. In 2014.
Like in the movie, the operating system evolves. It evolves into a thing with feelings. And it never stops evolving. Just like humans never stop evolving. Although we may evolve and change slower than a computer or operating system, which has so much knowledge at its fingertips, we do most definitely evolve and change. Our brains change. The world around us changes. I feel this is so important to remember. Yes we are in a different time, with different ways to connect and relate to each-other than in the past. But this is today. And we are the present. And if it wasn’t different, if we weren’t evolving, changing and learning, we wouldn’t be alive at all.