Holography In Society
by, Cayla Halloran
Hologram Overview
Innovations are usually the result of many people’s ideas and contributions. Not often are things made by solely one person. Over time innovations are made and perfected. This is the case for the hologram. Although Dennis Gabor is credited with inventing the hologram, there are several people that made this innovation possible.
Dennis Gabor was a Hungarian British electrical engineer and physicist (Addetia & Lang, 2016). He first made his discovery known in an article that was published in 1948. He later was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his invention in 1971. (Addetia & Lang, 2016).
Gabor credits his new technology to the previous work of W. L. Bragg and Fritz Zernike (1972). Bragg was responsible for exposing Gabor to his x-ray microscope where a two-stage method was used. Zernike had used a coherent background successfully by lens aberrations.
The word hologram contains the Greek word holos, meaning the whole and gram meaning message (Mishra, 2017; Gabor, 1972). Gabor states that he uses the word holo because a hologram contains “the whole of the information” (1972). Mishra explains that holograms refer to interference, diffraction, and reflection of waves being reconstructed (2017).
Here is how a hologram photo works. A hologram is made up of a laser, beam splitter, mirrors, an object, and a film. A laser is used because its light is coherent, meaning that its light waves are all the same size and bend the same way (Tamara, 2007). Holograms begin with a single laser beam that is then split into equal parts using a lens that splits the beam in half. One of the beams is referred to as the reference beam and shines onto the film. Then, the second beam reflects off of the object. An interference pattern is formed when the two beams cross paths and this is what is produced onto the film (Tamara, 2007).
Hologram equipment has come a long way since its invention. Hecht (2015) describes how challenging it was to capture a holography image. One of the many challenges was needing to have a stable surface and floor. Vibrations were easily picked up on and would change the results. New equipment needed to be made in order to provide this stability. Hecht recalls that when he was in college working in a lab, that they needed to do their work in the middle of the night in order to capture a hologram that was disrupted by people walking or the elevator running (2015). Artists and other physicists later made their own cheap way of securing the equipment to lower the vibrations without the expensive equipment, such as using C-clamps and sand to weigh down the optics (Hecht, 2015). This encouraged other artists to use holography in their craft. This soon became a new trend that could be done at home.
Many people’s first introduction to a hologram was through Star Wars. There is a scene where Princess Leia appears through a hologram. The image can be viewed from any angle in a 3D life-like manner. Ohler (2005) points out that futuristic movies are sometimes the first to creatively predict the future and use art and storytelling to do so. In this futuristic way, we are awed and inspired to create or build whatever is set before us on the screen. Now, the use of holography has the potential to benefit many areas of life.
Diffusion of Innovation
Holography has the potential to influence everyday life and multiple spheres of influence. However, because of price and availability, it is not a common technology in the public sphere. “Their high cost makes them impractical for many applications,” (Abbasi, Zarei, Farahani, & Rad, 2014). Abbasi et al predict that as the hardware for computers decreases that holograms will become a more cost effective option for commercial use (2014).
Everett Rogers helps us to understand the elements of diffusion according to Quan-Haase in Chapter 6. According to Rogers, diffusion is “‘the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among members of a social system,’” (Quan-Haase, p. 109). In other words, diffusion is the acceptance and integration of an innovation into society. There are four main elements to diffusion. They are innovation, communication channels, time, and social system (Quan-Haase, p. 109).
The beginning of the innovation of holography began with photography and then progressed with laser beams. In 1858 Henry Dircks realized that glass is transparent and reflective (Howard, 2015). He bounces an image off of glass and the image looks like it is floating. Then in 1862, John Henry Pepper modified Dircks invention in order to have “ghosts” appear in plays (Howard, 2015). This is where we get the term “Pepper’s ghost”. Later, these “ghosts” were diffused into haunted houses, plays, and magic shows. This illusion really takes off when Walt Disney uses this effect on one of their rides in 1969 (Howard, 2015). Less than 10 years later, Star Wars, as mentioned above, uses a hologram of Princess Leia. At this point, holograms are not quite tangible or widely used.
In 1996 Ford Motor Company began to wonder if they could use holograms instead of creating costly prototypes of cars (Howard, 2015). MIT researchers create Zebra Imaging in Texas and begin making headway. In 2006, the United States Army was Zebra’s main customer. They produce maps that can be used to show holograms of the terrain and be able to see what is ahead of them. “Zebra Imaging provided more than 14,000 holographic maps to American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan over a decade, and during that time the technology improved markedly…” (Howard, 2015). Then, in 2012, hologram became a part of pop culture when a hologram of Tupac Shakur was shown onstage at a Coachella concert. In 2014 holograms were used in the race for prime minister in India to deliver speeches in multiple locations at the same time (Howard, 2015). Currently, Zebra Imaging is creating holograms that you can interact with (Howard, 2015).
The second way diffusion is spread is through communication. The hologram took many years to catch on. Displaying fake versions of it in futuristic movies propelled society to create it in real life. In this way, the media was important in this portion of the process. Zebra Imaging aided in the spread and development of holograms. Eventually holograms became an art form and spread through society in this way. The use of holograms in pop-culture, such as the Coachella concert with Tupac, widely spread this innovation and made it more public through the internet.
Time is the third component of diffusion. Timing is a vital factor in how an innovation is diffused among society. If it is too early, it won’t catch on. But, if it is too late, then you run the risk of a failed invention. We are now in a place where we do not see holograms as solely a use for entertainment, but see it as aiding industrial and medical workers (Mishra, 2017).
Finally, the last component of diffusion are social systems. Society is beginning to see the benefits of using holograms in various fields. This could change the way we teach, practice medicine, create new products, and interact with one another. From integration with military mapping to the integration of holograms and medicine to the use of it in art, society is beginning to be more and more impacted by this technology.
Tetrad Analysis:
McLuhan’s Tetrad Analysis can be helpful in understanding the positives and negative societal effects of the use of holograms in different areas of life. There are four components: enhance, obsolete, reverse, retrieves. Each new technology does all four of these things.
Enhance
What do holograms enlarge or enhance? The use of holograms enhances the way we communicate. In the future, holograms that are completely 3D could change the way we communicate, teach, and experience art. It enhances the visual portion of communication because we are able to see the full person and not just their voice or their head. With being able to see complete body language, we will be able to communicate better. Holograms also enhance medicine and medical imaging.
Obsolete
What does the use of holography make obsolete? TVs and other screens could be made obsolete by this innovation. Because we experience entertainment, technology, and communication in a 1D or 2D manner, the use of holography in everyday use would make technologies such as the TV or phones more obsolete. It also can obsolete presence. Professionals could use this in a way where they would not need to be in the same room as a student or patient in order to teach or treat them.
Retrieves
What does the hologram reverse or flip into if pushed to an extreme? Elements such as privacy, community, and authenticity are all things that could be reversed. There could be more privacy breaches because of the nature of the 3D image. Although holograms could enhance the way we communicate, they could also enhance feelings of aloneness since it would feel like the person is present, although they are not. Holograms also have the potential to be pre-recorded. And in this, we could lose authenticity in messages that would otherwise be there if it were communicated in-person.
Reverse
What does the hologram reverse or flip into if pushed to an extreme? Elements such as privacy, community, and authenticity are all things that could be reversed. There could be more privacy breaches because of the nature of the 3D image. Although holograms could enhance the way we communicate, they could also enhance feelings of aloneness since it would feel like the person is present, although they are not. Holograms also have the potential to be pre-recorded. And in this, we could lose authenticity in messages that would otherwise be there if it were communicated in-person.
Impacts on Society
Medical Field
Just as technology is always changing, so is the medical field. New medicines, scans, and methods are being integrated into the healthcare system. From thermometers, to vaccines, to X-rays, to Lasiks, we have come a long way. Holograms could revolutionize the medical field. The use of them would enhance precision and visuals. Mishra explains that there is a need for 3D imaging to aid in diagnosis and interventions (2017). Currently 3D images are being created from X-rays, MRI, CT, and ultrasounds, however, this is “extremely laborious and time consuming” (Mishra, 2017). In addition, 3D glasses would not be necessary in viewing these images (Addetia & Lang, 2016). Using holography in the medical field for interventions would increase accuracy and help practitioners in planning and in interventions (Mishra, 2017).
Other than aiding in interventions, holograms would also enhance medical education. Presentations would become 3D and simulations would become more interactive (Mishra, 2017). Complex interventions would be taught with more ease and performed with more ease as well. Holography is a learning tool (Ohler, 2005).
Another area that holograms could support medicine would be in the use of holographic cadavers. This would give students the opportunity to “navigate the entire body and [sift] through skin layers, muscles, the cardiovascular system and the skeleton” (Mishra, 2017). Areas that are hard to see or navigate would be made more accessible and clearer (Addetia & Lang, 2016).
Entertainment
The hologram would impact the entertainment industry in various ways. First, it could change the way we view movies and videos. 3D movies would be replaced with holographic movies. Standard TVs would become obsolete as we would need new TVs with new capabilities and eventually phones and computers as well. The holoTV has been created that displays holographic images (Fan, 2013).
Secondly, it would change the way we experience art. Plays and other performances could be displayed using holograms. Concerts of famous or deceased artists could be shown and re-lived. There would be new revenue for producers and those who have the copyrights with the artists. Third, entertainment industries would receive either criticism or intrigue from its audience. Bove (2013) states that “‘Hologram’ remains a powerful marketing word, even if applied to things that aren’t really holographic”.
A theory that can be applied to holograms and entertainment is the social presence theory. Social presence theory is defined as the “degree to which a person is perceived to be a ‘real person’ in their computer-mediated communication or virtual environments” (Bickle, Hirudayaraj, & Doyle, 2019). This theory states that the amount that you are experienced by someone else as real correlates with the quality of interaction. The more real or life-like the interaction the higher the social presence. Face to face interaction would have the highest and a communication tool just as email would have low social presence. The more real the interaction the more social cues and body language we are able to pick up on. This aids in quality of interaction. The more presence you have, the higher the quality. Therefore, adding holograms to concerts could aid in the quality of interaction between the performer (deceased or alive) and the audience. This theory could also explain the push for innovations like holograms to progress because of the benefits that come along with this method of communication.
Recommendations and Conclusions
Overall, holograms would be very useful in a variety of fields. The medical field would especially benefit from its use. Making further headway in this innovation would make surgeries, teaching, and scans much easier. The use of holograms is already penetrating culture. However, we need further research and advancements in order to safely incorporate this technology into the medical field.
Holograms would also open up new entertainment in gaming, TV, and communication. This would open up more job opportunities. Early adopters would be able to make the first purchases of bringing holograms into the home.
Holograms have not yet penetrated homes in ways of communication and entertainment. However, with the research being done in several countries I believe we will soon be able to experience more of them in everyday life and in homes. There are several countries that are committed to researching the hologram.
As with any technology, there are unintended consequences. Holograms could be used in the future for deception. They could be so clear that it would be difficult to tell if the presence of the person is real or not. They could also be perceived as invasive of privacy. From telephones in the home to cell phones in our pockets, we can now be reached at any point of the day. Video calls have allowed us to talk to other people in a virtual way, however, some view this as invasive. If holograms were in real time, people could perceive them as invading their privacy. And lastly, along with using media to communicate, it could create more inauthentic communication. Communicating face-to-face is the most effective way as we see through the social presence theory. Therefore, use of the hologram could create less sincere communication.
People have the autonomy and capability to choose what technologies they want to use. Although holography could be used for deception, invade privacy, and create inauthentic communications, there would be vast advancements in technology for the medical field and other areas of society. This could help the United States military, medical imaging, scientific visualization, and education (Abramson, 2013).
References
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Bickle, J. T., Hirudayaraj, M., & Doyle, A. (2019). Social Presence Theory: Relevance for HRD/VHRD Research and Practice. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 21(3), 383–399.
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Hecht, J. (2015). LOOKING BACK/LOOKING FORWARD: Positioning equipment-the challenge of building a solid foundation for optics. Laser Focus World, 51(11), 27.
Howard, D. (2017, November 14). 400 Years of Holograms: The History of Illusion. Retrieved from https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a16141/holograms-are-people-too/
Mishra, S. (2017). Hologram the future of medicine — From Star Wars to clinical imaging. Indian Heart Journal, 69(4), 566–567.
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Quan-Haase, Anabel (2016). Technology and Society: Social Networks, Power, and Inequality. Ontario, Canada: Oxford University Press. ISBN: 978–0–19–901471–2
Tamara. (2007, October 22). Q & A: How Holograms Are Made. Retrieved from https://van.physics.illinois.edu/QA/listing.php?id=1926&t=how-holograms-are-made
