Relationships and Technology in the Modern World
An Analysis of a Spike Jonze Film: Her
By: Xiara Rodriguez
Sept. 13, 2016
Her, a Spike Jonze film, explores real life issues between a man and an operating system. Samantha, the OS, and Theodore, a “personal-letter” writer, undergo complex issues that any relationship would eventually come to: commitment insecurities, jealousy, pointless arguments etc. One might assume that there are barriers between the two being that Samantha is a computer system, but those lines are blurred when Theodore begins dating his OS. The artificial intelligence presented in this film serves to reveal the near-future familiarity in technology and human relationships through the use of setting and conflict.
Her depicts a space parallel to the near-future technology of modern society by imitating aspects of Los Angeles and Shanghai. The “real world authenticity,” as mentioned in “Spike Jonze’s Her: Sci-fi as Social Criticism” by Solvej Schou, reveals the soon to be be comfort in a world where dating an OS system is normal. The futuristic L.A. (Schou) demonstrates the refreshing, appealing, mixing pot of culture, technology and architecture. Cityscapes of L.A. and Shanghai appear throughout the film in many scenes. The cityscapes include elevated walkways for travel between buildings; having such walkways allow for the public to cross without the use of intersections. These simple yet intricate architectural designs are a brief look into the direction society is headed in. Throughout the film, you notice a shift in vehicle use. While in today’s world almost everyone uses a car for transport, booming sidewalks and railways are seen in the film; viewers rarely see street vehicles, it is as if they are disappearing. Along with the cityscapes, the film replicates skyscrapers and the skyline of L.A. The innovative environment of this L.A./Shanghai atmosphere reveal the concern of the new world and science.
Most sci-fi films create futures that seem foreign to its natives. Rather, this futuristic culture is seemingly common through its portrayal of near-future aesthetic. Theodore’s occupation alone, demonstrates the disconnection between human to human interaction and the reliance on technology. In today’s age, everyone is victim of this new digital era; we are constantly engaging on our phones, video games, listening to music off MP3 player etc. Theodore writes “personal-letters” for others. That being said, people can’t find the time to sit down and write a note for a loved one. Rather, they pay a stranger, behind a computer screen to express how they feel. Samantha was able to pick up on sentiment, expressing emotion toward Theodore in ways he lusted for. Samantha represents the future of technology, being able to show and experience feeling will be normal. To Theodore, the feelings were pure and genuine. Production designer, KK Barrett says, “I would like to think everything in the film is very real” (Schou). The attachment between technology and human interaction is evident, allowing everything to look “[and feel] down-to-earth and familiar” (Schou). According to Dr. Ali Mattu, Her is not only a direct reflection of near-future technology, but, the film depicts accurate interactions between technology and human psychology (Mattu). One of the basic features of technology is memory; humans do not find the purpose and memorizing things that are found on the internet (Mattu). Throughout the film, Theodore relies on Samantha to remember daily tasks: attending meetings, responding to emails etc. The setting of Her, allows Samantha to unveil connections between technology and psychology, but also with human relationships.
With the world of science constantly changing, the nature of what it means to be human is put up for questioning. Humans aren’t aware of the fast paced changes occurring around them. In an interview with Marc Chacksfield, Spike Jonze spoke on how technology is outpacing people, “The way I see it is that we have lived in civilisation for the last 10,000 years. We have been turned from hunters and gatherers into a cultural-based society and from that point on, from when we started agriculture, villages, building towns our lives have definitely got much faster paced…And in the last 10 years things have gotten exponentially faster paced.” Here, Jonze discussed how technology has taken a drastic turn in the last decade. Humans have grown detached from society while becoming drawn to gadgets. Smartphones have become necessary in our lives; easier put, the devices we are using are now using are smarter than the people controlling them. Humans are engaging in their phones and their phones only, “I think about the way that the phone I carry is now part of me. How much of our life is through our phones, our computers, through our texts, through our emails. How much of our day is spent taking in information, receiving and replying to communication. It’s so much,” Jonze says. The strangest part of it all is that present day technology has many human traits. Take “siri” for example, it has the potential to have a name, answer any questions you can have, gives advice etc. Since birth, humans are taught to give life (human traits) to inanimate objects. Whether children are playing mom and dad with dolls or animating action figures, they are being brought to life. As technology embeds itself into society, differentiating between reality and virtuality will only grow more difficult.
Theodore and Samantha’s relationship bring up many unanswered questions, mainly however, What does it mean to be human? Some might see this relationship as nonexistent and immoral being that Samantha is artificial, a computer. This type of relationship is something unknown to the world. For that reason, this is just a relationship most humans have yet to experience. It’s not a relationship between man and an OS system, but, two unfamiliar and unalike consciousness. Humans have drifted away from the idea that technology hasn’t always been around, “we forget that it was imagined, and then created, by humans based on human values to attempt to fill human needs and desires” (Schou). Nowadays, our lives are built around technology. What looked to be unreal [technology] can uncover great truths of society. Theodore and Samantha told a strange story of love, crossing boundaries between what is accepted by society and what is not. Samantha was the perfect companion for Theodore, she was build to compliment him. Although she was built by man, Samantha was able to evolve like a human. Samantha had feelings, was able to adapt to change and gained knowledge day-by-day, “Sam has the capacity to undergo evolution of her identity. In a very real sense (though “she” lacks a corporeal body, and must inhabit Twombly’s phone or computer system), Sam is “alive.”” With Samantha showing most traits of human life, many questions surface, “What are the integral characteristics of a human being/human intelligence? Is there a necessary relationship between consciousness and materiality?” (Literary Analysis)
Her focuses on a relationship between a man and his computer. While most would agree that a relationship with an inanimate object is unreal, there are many similarities between a normal relationship and one with an OS. The advancement of technology is changing the world we live in. Having taken place in a futuristic L.A./Shanghai, Her shows just how close this “new world” where dating an OS system truly is. The technology presented through Samantha and relationship she undergoes with Theodore, strengthen our understanding of human relationships and the digital era.
Sources: Chacksfield, Marc. "Him and Her: Spike Jonze Reveals Why the OS of the Future Is All Talk." Jrizos. "Spike Jonze’s HER, A Critical Analysis." Mattu, Ali, Dr. "Spike Jonze's Her Is a Piercing Commentary on Our Immediate, Online, Artificial Lives (Non-Spoiler Film Review)." "Movie Review: “Her”." Literary Analysis. N.p., 30 Jan. 2014. Web. 01 May 2016. Schou, Solvej. "Spike Jonze's Her: Sci-fi as Social Criticism."
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