"This image says so much about our future"

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The image above looks like concept art for a new dystopian sci-fi film. A billionaire superman with a rictus grin, striding straight past human drones, tethered to machines and blinded to reality by blinking plastic masks. Golden light shines down on the man as he strides past his subjects, cast in gloom, toward a stage where he will accept their adulation. Later that night, he will pore across his vast network and read their praise, heaped upon him in superlatives, as he drives what remains of humanity forward to his singular vision.

Except it's not from a sci-fi movie — it's from Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona, and the man is Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg.
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http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/22/11087890/mark-zuckerberg-mwc-picture-future-samsung


Leaving aside the speculation about the future and looking at this image on its purely photographic qualities, its so powerful that it feels staged, and yet its not staged.

To me this photo is a testament to still photography and how it can capture something abstract in a single frame and unleash articles and comments and speculation in its wake.

Mark Zuckerberg might be the upcoming virtual reality prophet and profiteer, but I'm pretty sure this is not the sort of photo he would have wanted out there.

Anyway, i thought I'd share this photo and hopefully its posted in the right forum.
 
Zuckerburg posted the image to his Instagram so he most definitely wanted it out there. He was proud of it, which in itself speaks volumes.
 
A powerful picture, but your reaction to it depends on your orientation toward technology.

Most of the people sitting in the audience were hoping for a fabulous experience, and they wouldn't see any irony in the contrast between themselves and Zuckerberg.

The masses have many opiates now, not sure if chemicals or virtual goggles will win out in the end. I suspect the former. Anyway, Marx's opiate is not even in the running.
 
Yes, powerful as Randy said. Humanity, having finally got the hang of thought control, is now working on vision control.

Stay docile, follow instructions, nothing to see here, move along.
 
Its interesting how people interpret this.

To me, its more similar to a show floor where people are experiencing television or the internet for the first time. And yes, I'd expect the people involved in demoing it are excited to be sharing something they're passionate about.

I don't get the nefarious vibes from it at all, though I do understand how some people might.
 
Tejasican said:
Zuckerburg posted the image to his Instagram so he most definitely wanted it out there. He was proud of it, which in itself speaks volumes.
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To answer your question as to why the image would be endorsed by MZ, I'm going to plug The Century of the Self.

The Century of the Self is a 2002 British television documentary series by filmmaker Adam Curtis. It focuses on the work of psychoanalysts Sigmund Freud and Anna Freud, and PR consultant Edward Bernays.[1] In episode one, Curtis says, "This series is about how those in power have used Freud's theories to try and control the dangerous crowd in an age of mass democracy."
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photomoof said:
Just think how much more fun it will be in VR, right on the field, helmet cams so you can pretend be any player.
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I know you lot don't play much cricket over there but in Aust we have a cricket series known as the BBL ... twenty overs a side and targeted for prime time viewing. This year several of the players wore helmet cams and were miked up for sound as well. Standing at the end of the pitch having a cricket ball coming towards you (occasionally your head) at 90 mph is something few people will experience in real life but they did in this series without having to leave their lounge chairs. The technology is amazing and will only get better.
 
lynnb said:
Yes, powerful as Randy said. Humanity, having finally got the hang of thought control, is now working on vision control.

Stay docile, follow instructions, nothing to see here, move along.
Click to expand...

Actually, I was thinking brain washing when I saw that many people w/ vr setups just sitting still like that.

Gary
 
For me, the mass of people with goggles is not a scary scene in itself. More or less, that's what we are all doing most of the time anyway (TV's, computer screens, e-readers, cellphones, tablets, MP3 players, noise-cancelling headphones).
The un-nerving thing is the one guy who is NOT wearing goggles, and seemingly not "under the influence" of the mass hypnosis / hysteria. (I am reminded of "Brave New World", "Metropolis" and "The Matrix").
 
Tejasican said:
Zuckerburg posted the image to his Instagram so he most definitely wanted it out there. He was proud of it, which in itself speaks volumes.
Click to expand...

I wonder if he does his own posts or it's his PR department?

Anyway, I highly doubt it was a 'spontaneous' moment. His PR people would have arranged for him to walk through the audience and make sure the photographers knew about it and would get the photo opp.... I've done enough political and corporate events and the desired message will pretty much always get out (credit though to some photographers who intentionally look for the anti-message in spite of the handlers... though one wonders if that too isn't anticipated).

Still not on FB and this photo only reinforces that position. That said, while I don't watch much TV any more (for at least 10 years), I am 'addicted' to the internet and photo forums. I suppose, my opiate.
 
Hi,

My reaction was that one of them had managed to escape. Then I remembered the bit in 'Brave New World' where they were discussing some entertainment that evening on whatever had replaced television...

Regards, David
 
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