Symbolic universes are created to provide legitimation and structure. They put everything in its right place and provide explanations for why we do things the way we do. New Yorks World's Fair held in 1939, called "The Dawn of Tomorrow" was all about creating a symbolic universe. America was just getting to the end of the depression and wanted to look forward. The fair was all about how science was going to bring a utopia of tomorrow.
Today there are many symbolic universes created through media. Where it be through the internet, TV shows or movies. This media allows viewers to step into a whole new world, and fantasise about what could be. The Harry Potter series of books and movies created immense populairty over a wide range of age groups all over the world. It is a series of seven novels and movies about the adventures of the wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, who are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story shows Harry's quest to overcome the evil dark wizard Lord Voldemort, which he eventually suceeds in doing. This story line captures viewers/readers and pulls them into this new fantasy world. The fact that the series lasted 10 years and many grew with the series, this made viewers feel like they were right there with Harry for the whole journey.
Media and design and the digital world is a huge part of life today and society is becoming more and more dependent on it. It creates this ideal world or utopia where people can step out of their everyday lives and into this new reality. It allows them to fantasize about other worlds and to step into the shoes of and follow along with these fictional characters. No one can deny that they love to fantasize about being someone else, having a different life or being in another surreal world. We are becoming so used to seeing all this as we are surrounded by digital media and it often affects our behaviour. In some ways I believe this media utopia is a negative influence on society but in others it's a step towards the future and has many benefits.
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