Larry D. Lauer

Here is a digital world question: Can experiencing a new place on-line be just as good as being there in person?

I remember reading film criticism in the 1960’s that asked the question: Why does film seem so real, when it isn’t?  The point was that film and TV news look real because you see real people doing real things. But in film and television there is someone pointing the camera, editing the scenes, and often adding sound and visual special effects. There is no way to know what is beyond what the camera is showing you. You are directed to the important action as defined by the director. And camera movements, angles, and other special effects are manipulating your emotions. In this way, film and television create their own reality.

If you were actually in that location you would be scanning the entire landscape, focusing your own attention, and selecting the objects and happenings you want to observe. You could breathe the air, smell the smells, and fully feel the moment. Searching the internet may come close, but it is just not the same..

For example, I am convinced that you cannot really know a city without actually being there. A documentary or internet search will provide an adequate orientation. They can give an overview, review the issues you might encounter, and give good advice about what to see and what to avoid.

But the digital world simply cannot substitute for the feelings you have wandering city streets, strolling through immigrant neighborhoods, cautiously tasting food from push carts, noticing textures and colors, and imagining life in this place in earlier times. When you are there you shape your own wide-shots and close-ups. And even when you have a guide pointing out things of special interest, you still determine your own “cut-a-ways,” “flashbacks,” and “fast forwards.” You write your own drama, and you are the lead actor.

The internet is great for making initial connections, and enlarging our perspectives. But knowing only a virtual world is not nearly the same as fully experiencing the real one. It’s not even close. In fact, everyone should study abroad!  It’s life changing, and there is no substitute for it.