Bliss

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Bliss (2021) primary poster. Images © Amazon Studios or related entities. Used for publicity and promotional purposes. https://www.movieinsider.com/posters/576469

Bliss (2021) is a new, drama-science fiction, Prime Original film on Amazon Prime. The movie was directed by Mike Cahill and stars high-profile actors such as Salma Hayek and Owen Wilson.[1] Bliss follows the main character, Greg Wittle, as his mundane life turns upside down when he discovers first-hand that everyone around him is just a part of a computer simulation except, his new companion, Isabel. There are ethical implications with regards to the computer simulation that is explored through the film and in terms of consequences on users and society.

Plot

Bliss begins in a dreary office with Greg Wittle (Owen Wilson) sketching a house in extreme detail. Due to his lack of concentration, among other reasons, Greg is told to go to his boss’s office to be fired. Then, Greg accidentally kills his boss. In a panic, he flees to the bar across the street where he meets the disheveled, homeless Isabel Clemens (Salma Hayek). Isabel tells Greg that they are living in a simulation and nothing around them is real. After that, Greg and Isabel explore poverty-ridden Los Angeles. They take the yellow crystal to give them control of the simulated world and can live freely. Eventually, Greg’s beliefs begin to waver, so Isabel decides to take him back to the real world by taking the blue crystals. On arriving back, all of Greg’s dreams have come true. He discovers the house he drew earlier was his real home. It is the perfect world. But the simulated world begins to meld with the real world, leading Greg and Isabel to go back into the simulated world. The film ends with Greg choosing between the two worlds, the two versions of himself.

The Simulation

A simulated neighborhood. Image: Magnolia Pictures. https://www.polygon.com/2021/3/1/22303776/simulation-theory-movies-about-living-in-a-simulation

A computer simulation is a computer program that uses a model of a real system to duplicate the functional relationships within the real system.[2] The technology that created the simulated world in the film was known as the Brainbox. All of the real participants were placed into the same world for research purposes. The computer-created people were known as FGP (fake generated person)­­­­­. The idea behind the world was to explore the not-so-perfect pieces of oneself, without the fear of death. The FGPs are periodically respawned if they ever die. A similar concept is developed in the TV series Westworld. Virtual Reality is a form of a computer simulation in which the user experiences and can interact with the artificial 3D world created by the simulation.[3]

Ethical Issues

Replacement for Reality

The technology seen in the film is a futuristic version of the virtual reality devices seen and commonly used today.[4] As this technology gets more and more realistic, there is the chance it can replace authentic human interaction, as seen in the film. Humans are social beings so they enjoy using social medias, virtual realities included.[5] Virtual reality and simulation technology can be used as a form of escapism, creating feelings of loneliness if overindulged. [5]

Unintended Bias

In the film, Greg became attached to the simulated world, and it became his real reality. New technological breakthroughs, if not designed carefully and thoughtfully, like the Brainbox, can have unintended results. For example, Langdon Winner describes how the simple design of an overpass in Long Island caused years of subtle discrimination of poor people and African Americans, who at the time normally used public transit.<ref=winner> Winner, L. (1980). Do Artifacts Have Politics? Daedalus, 109(1), 121-136. Retrieved March 11, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20024652 </ref> One engineer’s bias to created discrimination in society. Algorithms collecting micro and macro data are being designed to make decisions on real people. [6] Winner says that one software developer can put bias into a given product to lend intended or unintended consequences. <ref=winner></ref>

Consequences for Users

The usage of virtual reality/simulation technology can have psychological impacts on the user.[7] In the film, Greg and Isabel live life without consequences. Greg can kill his boss and get away with it. If someone is living their perceived life with no penalties, they are more likely to do more negative things. A psychological study has been done to learn if real, lasting consequences can occur from interacting with virtual reality games. The researchers discovered that an individual playing a virtual reality game can experience intense negative emotions. They followed up and concluded that the participants utilizing the virtual reality had negative emotions that lasted up to a day as compared to participants playing a similar game on a laptop.[7] The findings show that the negative emotions created during an immersive experience can cause memory rumination leading to a more depressed mood.[8]

Equal Access Right

The ideal world that Greg and Isabel are in is utopian. Everyone has the time and money to explore their passions, and climate change has been reversed. The purpose of Isabel’s research is to show that her simulation technology should be a human right. At that time in the film, there was not positive consensus with the benefits of her technology for various reasons, equal access to all being one of them. Equal access to information and technology being a human right is an ongoing debate. Two terms that are often used when discussing this debate are equality and equity. Formally, equality is defined as the quality or state of being equal.[9] Equity is defined as justice according to natural law or right, specifically, freedom from bias or favoritism.[10] There is a balance between reaching equality and equity in regard to access to information and technology. If there is too much of a focus on equity, there will be backlash from those who resent such programs as ‘unfair’.[11] Achieving this balance is a goal of librarians and other scholars involved in information technology, since they play a large role in creating change.[11]. To create fair and equal access, there needs to be justice from equity.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Bliss. (2021). Amazon Prime. Retrieved 11 March 2021, from https://www.amazon.com/Bliss-Salma-Hayek/dp/B08RMNMGNB
  2. ↑ T. (2017, April 27). Computer simulation. Retrieved March 11, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/technology/computer-simulation
  3. ↑ Mitchell, C. (2020, November 21). Virtual reality. Retrieved March 11, 2021, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/v/virtual-reality.asp
  4. ↑ VR home. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2021, from https://arvr.google.com/vr/
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Siricharoen, Waralak. (2019). The Effect of Virtual Reality as a form of Escapism. Retrieved March 11, 2021 from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Waralak-Siricharoen/publication/336128788_The_Effect_of_Virtual_Reality_as_a_form_of_Escapism/links/5d90c8e992851c33e9487ffd/The-Effect-of-Virtual-Reality-as-a-form-of-Escapism.pdf.
  6. ↑ Turner-Lee, N., Resnick, P., & Barton, G. (2019, October 25). Algorithmic bias detection and mitigation: Best practices and policies to reduce consumer harms. Retrieved March 11, 2021, from https://www.brookings.edu/research/algorithmic-bias-detection-and-mitigation-best-practices-and-policies-to-reduce-consumer-harms/
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lavoie, R., Main, K., King, C., & King, D. (2020). Virtual experience, real consequences: The potential negative emotional consequences of virtual reality gameplay. Virtual Reality, 25(1), 69-81. doi:10.1007/s10055-020-00440-y
  8. ↑ Park, R. J., Goodyer, I. M., & Teasdale, J. D. (2004). Effects of induced rumination and distraction on mood and overgeneral autobiographical memory in adolescent Major Depressive Disorder and controls. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines, 45(5), 996–1006. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.t01-1-00291.x
  9. ↑ Equality. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/equality
  10. ↑ Equity. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/equity
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Admin. (2017, May 20). Equality and equity of access: What's the difference? Retrieved March 11, 2021, from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/equalityequity
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