[ExI] Parasocial relationships (was: stealth singularity)

[SR Ballard]

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

> On Jun 16, 2019, at 10:55 AM, Stuart LaForge <avant at sollegro.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> Quoting Spike:
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>> _______________________________________________
>> 
>> Rechargeable power source, ja good point thanks.  I had forgotten that part, dang.  If we don't get carried away with the actuators, it shouldn't take much power.
>> 
>> If we keep going with this whole concept, we get down to where I think it really eventually goes: immersive reality goggles.  That approach standardizes a lotta lotta, and converts the exercise to mostly a software task.  As an intermediate step, we could use a standard LCD with eye motion or head motion detection, to make it respond to the attention of the user.
>> 
>> I have a wide-screen display which might be good for something like that.  These things aren't even very expensive anymore.  We might be able to adapt Second Life for this purpose somehow.
> 
> Actuator servos don't take that much juice. It will be the drive motor that will be the big drain. But our robot will not need to have a a long range nor move very fast.
> 
> I am not so sure about the virtual companion idea. I read that in Iraq, American troops developed emotional ties for bomb disposal robots to the point of feeling grief when the robots were lost in action, even though they did not look remotely human or even cute.
> 
> https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/09/funerals-for-fallen-robots/279861/
> 
> But I have not heard of anybody developing an emotional tie to a virtual assistant outside of the movie "Her". Anybody else know how likely an old person is to bond with a "virtual" character?
> 
> Stuart LaForge
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> 
> 
> 
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