Dopamine

Work Title: Dopamine
Medium: Film
Episode Title:
Year: 2003
Writer(s): Timothy Breitbach
"Original" Writer: Yes Writer(s): Mark Decena
"Original" Writer: Yes Own work?: No

Summary:

Rand, Winston, and Johnson have a small tech startup company in the Bay Area that's developing a artificially-lived computer character, Koy Koy the bird, who can hear and see and interact with the user. Koy Koy gets placed in a kids schoolroom for testing, and Rand develops a relationship with one of the teachers, Sarah. Rand learns that his scientific understanding of human mating isn't necessarily a roadmap for the real thing. Summary written by Martin Lewison {dr@martinlewison.com} from imdb.com


Era/Year of Portrayal: present_day

Distinctive characteristics of the world in portrayal:

Present day 2003, San Francisco


Technology

  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: Koy Koy
  • Description of the technology: Koy Koy is an animanted bird that children can interact with. He is very real, although animanted and on a computer screen. He interacts with the children, responds to their commands by singing, moving, flying. He responds to vocal commands and questions, and can interpret facial emotions. He is quite shy and has to spend time with a user before he is confident. The children interact iwth him as they would a real pet bird. He behaves very shyly at first, as a real bird would. When they give him a mate, he acts as any bid in love would do - flying in circles, trying to impress her, etc.
  • Nature of task or activity: The children interact with Koy Koy in thier classroom, whenever they want. They interact with him as they would a real pet bird. So, they talk to him, tell him to do things, etc.
  • Performance of the Technology: Very well.
  • Description of creator(s): 3 white men in their mid to late 20's. They have an animation tech start up in San Francisco.
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): To entertain users and provide a social outlet for people who may be shy/lonely or not able to have real pets.
  • Description of users of technology: Children in kindergarden class. All races, both genders. One creator also has extensive interactions wth Koy Koy - he is lonely and uses the bird as a social outlet and metaphor for his emotions about love.
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: social_presence
  • Description of presence experience: The users generally find the experience satisfying, espeiclaly once the bird is accostemed to the user and will engage with him/her.
  • User awareness of technology during experience: Yes. Although the children may not realize the bird is totally not real.
  • Valence of experience: They find it pleasent.
  • Specific responses: Interacting with the bird lets users reflect upon thier own emtions.
Long-term consequences:

Well, the guy gets the girl, but Koy Koy loses his funding, so we are left to think he is not to continued. But, the creator doesn't need him anymore anyway. Happy Ending.

Other:

Coder name: Amanda Scheiner
Coder email: amandags@temple.edu
Coder affiliation: Temple University