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1. Rent and watch the movie The Matrix.
2. Read John Partridge’s “Plato’s Cave and the Matrix” attached to this unit.
3. Read Christopher Grau’s “Bad Dreams, Evil Demons, and The Experience Machine” attached to this unit.
4. Discussion 8: Using both your own knowledge and the Grau and Partridge articles, discuss in detail how the film “The Matrix” illustrates Plato’s allegory of the cave. What does the film suggest about how we know things? Does Plato agree? Do you?
� How do the characters influence and mold technology to fit their needs? � Are their active audiences? � How does flow work between the Matrix and the characters, especially Neo? � Can the concepts of presence and co-presence be applied to the Matrix and its characters? If so, how? � How are the characters part of online communities, communities online, audiences, and/or third places? � How do the characters influence their social world(s) using Communicative Informatics level/sphere 2 (Network Systems & Human Computer Interaction/Interface), and then at level/sphere 3 (Communicative; Information & Communication Technologies). � Does the Matrix act like a database which learns about users through gathering data? � How can uses and gratifications as well as the technology adoption model be applied to how Neo beats the Matrix? � How does the Matrix act like a database that collects and uses information to appeal to people’s likes and dislikes? � How does media naturalness explain social interaction though technology in the Matrix? � What role might proximity play in increasing user engagement? Be creative and have fun with it. Remember to integrate readings & concepts from class. Support your claims with examples from the movie. Cite sources.