How does the concept of “Embodied Virtuality” apply to Ash, the main character of this episode?
Embodied virtuality is a topic that Katherine Hayles explored most thoroughly in How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature, and Informatics. Such a concept is quite difficult to grasp even with Hayles’ explanations, but thankfully there are examples in media that can accurately represent the concept. In the show Black Mirror, the character of Ash in episode one of season two can have the concept of embodied virtuality applied to him given his circumstances. Hayles explained on page 14 of her book that playing a ping pong game online is an example of virtuality, as the game is played partially online and partially in real life by the person. Ash is this virtuality embodied. He is not literally Ash himself but a computer simulation of him made up of data found online; however, he is embodied in real life in a tangible form that interacts with humans for their pleasure, thus showing his virtuality. Ash is a great example of embodied virtuality, and his circumstances definitely fall in line with what Hayles described in How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature, and Informatics.