Love Object

Work Title: Love Object
Medium: Film
Episode Title:
Year: 2001
Writer(s): Robert Parigi
"Original" Writer: Yes Own work?: No
Summary:

"Lions Gate Entertainment // R // Kenneth (Desmond Harrington of Wrong Turn) is a socially inept technical writer who throws himself into his work because of his low self-esteem. When his co-workers play a joke on him by giving him a picture of an ultra-realistic pleasure doll, Kenneth slowly starts to become obsessed with the love object (named Nikki). / Despite the fact that its extremely expensive, soon he breaks down and orders one over the Internet. When the neighbors in his small apartment building see him with a huge box being delivered, he tells them its a new refrigerator. Kenneth customizes the doll to look just like his new co-worker, Lisa (the lovely Melissa Sagemiller of Soul Survivor). Shes a pretty blonde with a nice smile and soon, because of all the practice time he gets in with Nikki, Kenneth decides he can make his move on Lisa. The two get off to a rocky start, but soon develop a nice relationship both in and out of the work place. / Soon though, things take a downward spiral when Kenneth begins obsessing over Nikki to the point that it interferes with his relationship with the real life Lisa. ..." (from http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=11751)

Era/Year of Portrayal: present_day
Distinctive characteristics of the world in portrayal:

present day 2003

Technology

  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: Nikki, the love doll.
  • Description of the technology: Nikki is a very realistic doll that Kenneth orders online and designs to look like a coworker named Lisa. She is an anotomically correct, lifesize doll. He treats her as if she were real. Yes, he has sex with the doll. Eventually, Nikki becomes (n Kenneth's mind) controlling and jealous, as well as sexually dominant.
  • Nature of task or activity: They do everything a normal couple would do - in his apartment. They watch movies, dance, eat, and have one sided conversations and sex.
  • Performance of the Technology: It works fine, until Kenneth begins to think Nikki is jealous and trying to kill him.
  • Description of creator(s): A corperation. Modern Appliances, with a male phone operator and a female voice online.
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): entertainment for users and profits for company.
  • Description of users of technology: The user in this instance is a white male in his late 20s early 30s. He is a loner, insane, a workaholic, socially inept, and pretty deranged. He writes how to technical manuals.
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: social_presence
  • Description of presence experience: For Kenneth, the presence experience is very real. She is a real person to him. It is pleasent, that is, until she tries to kill him. Even then, he is in love with her.
  • User awareness of technology during experience: Yes, he knows she is a doll, but she still seems real.
  • Valence of experience: He enjoys it.
  • Specific responses: Evenetually, Keneth goes insane, but whether its form the doll or not I'm unsure. During his interactions with her, he is very aroused. The doll almost socializes him (he starts dating a real person) but then he loses it.
Long-term consequences:

The consequences are bad. He ends up abducting the coworker and trying to kill her, as well as killing his landlord. In the end, he gets away with his crimes and orders another doll. creepy.

Other:

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