The Gladiator Ethos plunged in smartphone

The Gladiator Ethos plunged in smartphone 

The distorted image of reality and poor communication are the source of stupid and dangerous ideas. In my opinion this is a very serious problem, concerning not just parachuting. 

 Everything starts innocently. 

A bunch of the social networking site friends finds out that a user like them has signed up for a parachute training. It's impossible for them NOT to find out, because it is enough to take a photo next to the plane, a photo of the parachute on the back, or even more spectacular photo of free fall or landing, to make that micro society woven around the freshman start to boil. Duckface selfies taken in various places, or distribution of silly videos canít win with such an attractive reflection of the reality in which the instantaneous social hero has just dipped himself. So comments are that he must have gone crazy, that the most people always wanted to do it, that they plan to do it sometime but it's hard to say when, or that they would have done something more cool and WOW. Almost everyone wants to warm up at this short-lived eruption of ďlikeísĒ. However, the next photos are no longer welcomed with such an applause as the first. How many times one can write that someone seems to be crazy or that they always wanted to start jumping? Gradually, the micro society cools down. The safest period comes to the end as soon as the safest part of the parachute course ends - the basic course. The jumper starts to sail on unknown waters with a solemn assurance that he has been trained - he had completed the basic course after all.

The Gladiator Ethos 

Shortly our user meets a new group of people who exist not only in the grey reality, but also in that more colourful virtual reality. He is a member of the "passionates" group, although the less experienced but already from the new wolf pack. Nobody from the previous grey virtual bubble will understand the video uploaded from new colourful parachute subset. For now, there is nothing to boast about, so anyone who finds something more knee rolling (of course in front of the monitor) is growing in strength. He becomes a virtual reality leader. It's a pretty dangerous stage when the jumper, excited by the endogenous echoes of adrenaline, comes in with information that is not related to his reality but with something that is difficult to qualify as an average parachuting. Typically the stunts of a few gladiators, often mercenaries of popular products, which are characterized by a giant gap between the cost of sales and production are copied. The Gladiator Ethos is like a virus crawling in the head of the user.

The fight with grey reality 

We unconsciously colour up our memories. It is such a trick of our brain allowing us to make more important decisions with greater certainty. However a completely different effect arises in the virtual world, where everyone creates their avatar. The user has once shone in the grey mass of duckfaces with his heroic act of joining something noticeable in the real world. No doubt that fame tastes good. But the micro society has been remodelled in a significant way. The grey mass has been moved aside by the algorithm of the portal in order of not letting them become too much frustrated with the hero's achievements and parried him with others, dealing with parachute jumps or other similar activities. And yet again, the user world becomes grey, like a bit more colourful but still grey. However the taste of success remained. It starts to get very dangerous. Just as in reality, when busy instructors do not have time to check what the inexperienced jumpers came up with. And those inexperienced are beginning to prance. After all, no gladiator video material explained for how long the professionals had to go to get where they are now and whether they will live long enough. The gladiator virus activates, the immune system is severely hampered by the large number of tandems and new students. That's how the portal user meets the problem of present times. Blown up avatars Virtual reality is a twisted name, because it is not reality indeed. More correct name would be virtual unreality, sometimes based on reality. In this unreality, we care so hard that people see us from the best (in our opinion) side. We raise our pros, our cons are blurred. We do what the brain does with our own memory but not for ourselves only for the others. Well, maybe for ourselves but through the others. The gap between realities is growing, because the avatars of others are also growing in strength, which makes us feel uncomfortable. It's a duel for a better image. Unfortunately, the man is able to do a lot for his image in society, even the one which is not very real. So the hunt for the mirror images of reality begins. Popularity of the camcorders helps a lot. So there is more and more interesting movies and pictures emerging. Here I would divide the users into two groups: the ones who show the effects of their own work, sometimes hard and long-lasting, which can be seen only by a specialist in the given discipline and the others who are the hunters for anything stupid albeit striking and spectacular. Of course, the latter group is more dangerous and more popular. Only few people on the portal are able to evaluate someone's skills so foolishness wins (in these times of dark ages).

Safety fuse is off 

In this difficult period of the parachute career (whose distorted image is constantly in the network), it used to be possible to count on self-regulation of the system. Exchange of experience, exchange of reflection, acceptance of the group led to the cooling down of the young, fascinated hot shots and targeting them onto a more professional track. For a longer, a bit safer road, where satisfaction is self-improvement and teamwork. But the fuse is off, or more exactly - wired. It's a great as a hawker rarity that the jumpers seriously talk to share their thoughts. That they watch and pay attention if one is in danger. Why is it like that? Itís again fault of the blown up avatars. Honest conversation can lead to the disclosure of truth, it may turn out that the user is not such a daredevil, as he creates himself in the virtual world. It doesnít matter that the person alike is on the other side with the same problem. The fear of losing own created image holds back. So there are small talks about nothing like blabbering about skydive outfits, the gladiators achievements, the planned parties after the jump, sometimes about some epic jump, which is to knock down everyone in front of the monitors.

It's time to talk. It's time for reflections because we live in dangerous times, more and more detached from reality, as we can clearly see everywhere around. People moving forward, endlessly looking at their smartphones, immersed in unreality when surrounded with reality. Reality becomes only a quick stop on the path of unreality. And this destroys the professionalism in the favour of unreal success.

Iwan

translation: Andrzej Przygodzki