Memory Drive: The ethics of Holocaust memory in the age of virtual reality

In this episode of "Technically Human," I sit down with Dr. Steven Smith, the director USC's Dimensions in Holocaust Testimony.  

We talk about the ethics of memory, testimony, and witness, and how these fundamental concepts are being radically changed by developing technologies. Steven explains the ethics of Holocaust witness in the digital age and how a new interactive program that enlists virtual technologies may allow Holocaust testimony to remain vivified for generations to come. How should we think about the reality of virtual survivors? How is our basic concept of "witness"  transformed by new technologies? And what does  "memory" mean in our current digital age?

Dr. Stephen D. Smith is the Finci -Viterbi Executive Director of USC Shoah Foundation, and holds the UNESCO Chair on Genocide Education.

Smith founded the UK Holocaust Centre in Nottinghamshire, England and cofounded the Aegis Trust for the prevention of crimes against humanity and genocide.

Smith has served as a producer on a number of film and new media projects, including Dimensions in Testimony, and the VR project The Last Goodbye. He also co-hosts the MemoryGeneration podcast, alongside documentary storyteller Rachael Cerrotti, a show that explores dimensions of testimony from survivors of genocide.

In recognition of his work, Smith has become a member of the Order of the British Empire and received the Interfaith Gold Medallion. He also holds two honorary doctorates, and lectures widely on issues relating to the history and collective response to the Holocaust, genocide, and crimes against humanity.

Dimensions in Testimony is a collection of interactive video testimonies from the USC Shoah Foundation, enabling people to engage with Holocaust survivors and other witnesses to genocide, by asking questions and conversing. It is the subject of the Academy-Award nominated documentary film, 116 Cameras.

This episode was produced by Mereck Palazzo & Matt Perry.

Art by Desi Aleman.

This episode is dedicated to Izzy Arbeiter.