[ExI] Parasocial relationships (was: stealth singularity)

[spike at rainier66.com]

-----Original Message-----
From: extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> On Behalf Of SR Ballard
Sent: Sunday, June 16, 2019 9:03 AM
To: ExI chat list <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Subject: [ExI] Parasocial relationships (was: stealth singularity)

How likely is someone to bond with a virtual character? 

Have you seen how people ship fictional characters all the time, write fan fiction, salivate about character skins, spend tens of thousands of dollars on character branded merchandise ? Pokémon is like 1/8th of Japan’s GDP. 

A parasocial relationship doesn’t have to be with a “real” person. Look at waifu culture.

SR Ballard







Ja it happens, even to smart people.  Or so I hear.  

I can remember when Kellie Martin failed to negotiate an acceptable contract and the tragic result: Michael Crichton had Lucy Knight murdered by a psych patient, who also very nearly murdered Dr. Carter (recall he was in critical condition in the spring of 2000 as Noah Wiley negotiated his contract for season 7.)

I had such a crush on Dr. Knight.  I had half a mind to go to Chicago and intentionally get in an accident near County General hoping she would patch me.  And she wasn't even a particularly competent fictional doctor.  But hey, she was so nice.  Incompetent people can sometimes compensate by being nice people.  I was so sad when Chrichton arranged for her to perish, damn that guy.

Hey, there's an idea: find Kellie Martin (she's reduced to doing Hallmark movies and likely will jump at this idea) get her to voice an avatar based on her ER character, then create one of those nifty animatars (perhaps based on her younger self (plenty of the patients in nursing homes may remember her as a fictional med student (and then as an incompetent but nice resident))) resulting in their telling "Dr" Knight's animatar stuff they won't even share with their real doctors.

Great idea you spawned SR Ballard!

spike