PORTRAIT: KATE COPELAND ILLUSTRATION: SCOT T BALMER
Themeparksuseclevertechniquestomake
yourvisitmemorable– andallwithoutforcing
you to download an app or check in online“ e nextkillerapp
isn’tonyourdevice.
It’sintheplaces
thatcompelusto
keepourphones
in our pockets”
hemeparks?I’ma suckerfor
t hem.Ina mont horso,t he
UK’sfinest willthrowtheir
gatesopenforthenewseason
tothrilluswiththeirengineered
delights.Asusual,I willbethefirst
personinside,forcedtositthrough
pre-shows, unt ilI plungelikea
lemmingintowilfulsurrender.Yes,I
maybea digitalevangelist,butto me
thereis nothingascompellingoras
intoxicatingas thefull-onexperience
ofspendinga dayinsomeoneelse’s
imagination.
DrCarissaBaker,assistantprofessor
inthemeparksandstorytellingat the
Universityof CentralFlorida,argued
in 2018thatthemeparksaregatherers
andtellersofstories.Theirdistinct
narrativesstartbeforeyouenterthe
park,areplayedoutinwhatyou
experiencethere,andcontinueafter
you’veleft.Theyenrobeusinmyth,
folkloreor film– dependingonwhere
intheworldyou’revisiting– and
uniquelyextendthatworldbyputting
usrightinthemiddleofit.Howdo
theydoit?Somebelieveit’sdown
tocreativedirectionandnarrative
systemdesign.ButI callit likeI seeit:
theyuseallthepsychologicaltricks
inmysocialpsychologytextbooks
togetustofeelandactintheway
thatthepeoplebehindthescenes
foretell.Andthensome.
Ever y t hing in t heme pa rks is
manipulated.Everythingis accounted
for. Whereas in the digital world,designersinferwhatwefeel,these
themeparksincepttheseemotions.
A famousexampleisDisneyland’s
MainStreetUSA,whichyouwalk
downonfirstenteringthepark:
thesetshavebeendesignedwith
forcedperspectivesothebuildings
appeartallerandgranderthanthey
are.Techniqueslikethisabounded
inthesquaresofRenaissanceItaly
andGeorgianEnglandtomakethe
buildingsseembiggerthantheywere.
ThemythicalMainStreetis madeto
feellargerandmoreimpressivethan
it reallyis,whichgetsvisitorsexcited
whentheyenterthepark– weare
theheroofDisneyland’snarrative.
Now that’s a powerful trick.The digita l world is nowhere
nearasmagicalastheseplacesare.
Yes,digitaldesignerscancreate
somet hing out of not hing wit h
mathematicsandelectricity,but
theirbestattemptsareonlyshortcuts
intwo-dimensionalspace.Allthey
haveintheirtoolboxesaresightand
sound.Mystifyingly,they’vestill
magickedusintothinkingthey’ve
beenableto recreatehumanemotions
whileharvestingourhumanity.
Butinthemeparks,digitalis out
of place.Yes,behindthescenesthere
aredatamachinesthataretryingto
trackustomakeourexperiences
betterandmorepersonal.Exceptfor
oneortwonotableexamples,digital
techisn’tbeingusedto enhanceour
timeattheparkinanypractical
way.It justgetsintheway.And
perhapsthatiswhyI lovetheme
parks.BecausewhenI’mthere,I want
tobepropelledbysomeoneelse’s
vision,andgiveovertothefeeling.
Thenextkillerappisn’tonyour
device.It’sintheplacesthatthrill
usandcompelusto keepourphones
in ou rpockets so we ca n t r uly
experience them.A L E K S
KROTOSKI
Aleksis a social
psychologist,
broadcaster
andjournalist.
Shepresents
Digital Human.COMMENT
T
A MAGICAL PLACE