Being There or Non-being There: Memory of Experience in Virtual Space

Abstract

When we are present in a space we have been to before, we remember our experiences or events, people, and things related to that space. However, we can remember a space we have not been to and experiences that do not belong to us. We can have memories of them through transferential spaces created by mediums such as images, films, television, or virtual reality. These virtual spaces enable the transfer of experiences and memories. This study focuses on the relationship between experiences in virtual spaces and memory. It problematizes the change in the quality of experiences in physical and virtual spaces and the memories gained from these experiences. Film and virtual reality mediums are chosen to analyze the changes. The study reveals that depending on the types of mediums, characteristic transformations occur in memories obtained from experiences in virtual spaces.