Putting Big Tech in its place: A view of the virtual from Los Angeles

Abstract

This article considers how ideas about technology take on distinct and divergent meanings in different centers of power. Through a study of the virtual reality (VR) community in Los Angeles, I identify concepts and ideas that seem to immutably travel between LA and San Francisco's Silicon Valley but that through ethnographic examination reveal flexible, local meanings. VR's charismatic identification as an empathy machine, connections between storytelling and innovation, and appeals to workforce diversity all travel widely through networks occupied by tech elites. While these common concerns were discussed in multiple places, attention to local differences revealed the flexible meanings attached to these conversations. This, in turn, surfaced overlooked narratives and understudied networks of power that expand the terrain upon which VR in specific and tech in general can be critiqued and understood.