Abstract Proposal for the IRSCL 2017
Children and Young Adults’ Media:
Narratives and Fantasy in VR and AR
Despite the problematic issues of VR (Virtual Reality) and Augmented Reality (AR) for children in our modern societies, we have to acknowledge that VR and AR are the future of our digital generation. VR and AR have grown attention since inception, particularly in availing the future cinema and films. By far, VR and AR are considered as adult plays and entertainments. However, some arguments are also essentials in regards to their usage for children. When we look at the educational context of VR and AR, there is some recognition to consider VR and AR are potentially immersed in the classroom. For instance, the possibility of learning social competence for autistic kids and learning the complexity of abstract concepts are some of the acclaims made to rationale the importance of VR and AR immersion in education (Salzman, et al. 1999). Nonetheless, VR and AR also conceive some problematical issues, such as breeding violence (Dill and Dill 1998), health issues (Payton and et.al 2000), and addiction. Furthermore, previous studies of VR and AR as the media and apparatuses in our modern society tend to convey the notion of post-humanist, whereby, it relates to discerning VR and AR towards the approach of trans-humanism or anti-humanism. Yet, when we argue VR and AR through post-humanism acumen on the children capacity of self-consciousness, the realm of childhood has definitely been redefined through digital media.
This study focuses on the performative philosophical context of VR and AR as the new genre of children’s media and literature. The initial arguments are in the nature of narratives in the VR and AR in order to bridge the gaps and problems that may occur with regards to children’s experiences. The narrative in the realm of literature and media is the soul and the emotion of a story or film. Therefore, narrative may connect children with VR and AR through their consciousness and emotional response. This argument is related to the function children literature and media; the existence of narrative is often used to bridge children’s affective learning in the literature or media.
In addition, I will explore several issues such as the art of creating fantasy. This idea will focus on the relation of fantasy world and cyborg/hybridization culture in VR and AR, particularly in regards of how children will respond to the racial and cultural issues in real life through their interaction with cyborg and hybridization in VR and AR. Finally, this study will scrutinize the issue of how fantasy experience in VR and AR may recognize the identity construction, whereby the self-consciousness and identity may determine to what post-humanism is our technology may shape the children’s future; a trans-humanism or anti-humanism?
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