From Spectator to User, From Viewer to (Act)or

Stephen Hawking, when introducing Krauss’ ‘The Physics of Star Trek’, wrote that “[s]cience fiction (…) is not only good fun but it also serves a serious purpose, that of expanding the human imagination.” In this paper, following a retrospective juxtaposition of the two last centuries’ filmic production, we show how imaginary worlds have become conventional and familiar, while viewers have transformed from mere spectators to users of intelligent technologies. We also exhibit how this led to the emergence of a new generation of users, that of intelligent users, who are now both transmitters and receivers of information, and who perceive urban reality very differently from previous generations.