found it!

[kitanzi]

I ran into a very interesting concept a while ago but couldn't remember where, and I was trying to explain it to ACat a week or two back with the scraps I still remembered. It's called the Uncanny Valley, and the idea is that our reactions to a robot (or animated figure, or presumably a doll or other visual depiction) depend on how true to human they appear. The closer to human the more appealing, you might think - but it's not quite that simple. It's very interesting, and I just ran into it again, though I'm pretty sure it's not where I found it the first time.

http://www.wordspy.com/words/uncannyvalley.asp


Anyhow, the context in which I was trying to discuss this with ACat was in relation to Michael Jackson. Look at some of the recent photos - I think he's fallen right into that valley....

Comments

[catalana.livejournal.com]

This was really neat! Thanks for posting it - I immediately had to share the URL with several people. *grin* I love stuff like this.

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

Me too - which is why I made the mood geeky. *G*

[tnatj.livejournal.com]

I've enjoyed your discovery of the source of the term "uncanny valley" and its relationship with the Michael Jackson issue. I had not thought of it in that way.

There's also a concept of "exotic beauty" in human aesthetics as well, as I mentioned in our discussion in Filkhaven. Exoticism depends on unusualness in form for attractiveness.

One can set out (as I suppose Jackson did) to try for an exotic aesthetic, but (as you termed it) slip into the uncanny valley. Hence one could very reasonably argue that the line between exotic beauty and the uncanny valley is very fine indeed.

The subject of aesthetics in general can be fascinating, and you've hit upon one aspect of it. De Gustibus Non Est Disputandum is quite correct; but understanding our tastes, why we like what we do or dislike what we don't, I think is a proper subject for rational inquiry.

"Hack Kapfh" -- Major Hoople

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

Absolutely - people are interesting anyhow, and that's a rather telling aspect of how people think. Another example of exotic vs uncanny could be the range of descriptions of the fairy folk. Some are exotically beautiful, some are grotesque - there's a very wide range, and some seem to be right on that line. I'm sure Jackson was aiming for exotic - but I think he missed.