Cinema tends to ask only a narrow spectrum of questions. Questions inspired mostly by writers who themselves are concerned only with asking a narrow spectrum of questions : Who are we? What is happiness? What is freedom? But comparatively few films seek to answer the question of how we (as a species, as a culture and/or as individuals) should deal with the future. Even works of cinematic science fiction tend to shy away from these kinds of questions.
One book that has attempted to answer this question only to produce an intriguingly ambiguous answer is Rudy Rucker’s Postsingular (2007). The book deals with humanity’s attempts to come to terms with not one but three separate Singularites. The Singularity that dominates the bulk of the text allows all humans to not only communicate with all other humans, but also to see what they see. For some, this has resulted in fame and fortune as their lives are interesting enough to result in corporate sponsorship and syndication. Rucker presents the technology as incredibly cool and almost spiritual in its capacity for breaking down the barriers between human consciousnesses. But this does not mean that he shies away from the down-side to this degree of interactivity and access. For example, when a couple are attempting to consumate the physical attraction that has been brewing between them, they suddenly find themselves aware of their friends watching them. This instantly places them on a different footing. They are not merely living their lives, they are performing for an audience. In Rucker’s world, everyone is potentially in the public eye and most people act accordingly. In effect, humanity is plunged into a state of what Sartre called Being-For-Others.
But this is all science fiction right? Couldn’t really happen.
Sally Potter’s Rage suggests that this is happening already.
Ruthless Culture 