Virtual America sleepwalking through paradise - Opie, John (University of Nebraska Press, 2008)
Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002
Includes bibliographical references (p. 229-242) and index
Title Page; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; List of Illustrations; Introduction; 1. Welcome to VirtuaLand; 2. Antique America; 3. Human Kodaks in the Future Perfect; 4. Sleepwalking in America; 5. Finding Authenticity; Illustration Acknowledgments; Notes; Bibliography; Index
Virtual America traces the complex relationship between Americans, technology, and their environment as it has unfolded over the past several centuries. Throughout history Americans have constructed mental pictures of unique places, such as the American West, that have taken on more authority than the actual gritty landscapes. This disconnect from reality is magnified by the new world of virtual realities on the computer screen, where personal immersion in interactive simulations becomes the ?default? environment