As digital devices increasingly consume our attention, movie theaters remain sacred refuges where stories reign supreme. When the lights dim, we collectively banish our glowing rectangles. For two blessed hours, notifications no longer interrupt and infinite scrolling loses its grip. We have granted each other permission to focus, heads tilted skyward, eyes locked in tandem on the silver screen. Our smartphones, those constant companions of information and interruption, are tucked away as we yield to the unfolding story before us.
In my view, this rare opportunity for sensory deprivation and undivided attention is central to the enduring draw of cinemas. This sanctuary-like experience, unique to movie theaters, underscores a profound human need for undiluted focus and sensory engagement. As media theorist Neil Postman wrote, "Media ecology looks into the matter of how media of communication affect human perception, understanding, feeling, and value; and how our interaction with media facilitates or impedes our chances of survival." He posited that the mediums through which we communicate not only influence our perceptions and emotions but also shape our very survival in the information age.
Within the hallowed walls of a cinema, we engage with media in its purest form—visually and auditorily. The colossal screen and the immersive sound system envelop us, creating an experience that is impossible to replicate in any other setting. This sensory envelopment acts as a conduit, transporting us directly into the heart of narratives, allowing us to experience stories rather than merely consuming them.
And while the theater encourages us to switch off digital diversions, it also summons us to switch on our imagination. Freed from external inputs, our minds can wander landscapes limited only by what the film evokes. As viewers silently traverse fictional territories together, a remarkable, if fleeting, sense of collective consciousness emerges. For these reasons, Postman believed the dominance of image-centered media like film fundamentally shapes society's intellect. In his view, "transitions between oral, writing, printing, and electronic cultures have brought about revolutions in thought processes."
Perhaps on some level we intuitively grasp that movie theaters offer not just stories, but the chance to voyage inside them undeterred. And perhaps we sense, as Postman did, that immersing ourselves fully into visual realms expands our modes of thinking.
My opinion now is that more than a communal experience, what we really desire (consciously or unctuously) is the ability to focus in and have our minds and hearts touched and engaged with. Something that is becoming more and more difficult in an era of divided attention and focus.
Whatever the underlying forces, despite endless entertainment options and shrinking attention spans, the call of the cinema still compels us. In the Upside Down, aboard the Millennium Falcon, strolling along the streets of Paris - here we can go anywhere without going anywhere, heads filled with dreams, hearts lost in connection. For at least 120 minutes, all is right in our world.