Alienation effect

Okay kiddo, let me explain the alienation effect to you in a way that is easy to understand.

Have you ever played a game of pretend with your friends? Maybe you pretended to be superheroes or princesses or even animals. When you were playing, you were probably really into it, right? You felt like you were actually a superhero or a princess or an animal. But then, something happened, maybe one of your friends said something or you got distracted, and suddenly, you weren't really feeling it anymore. You knew that you were just pretending and that it wasn't really real.

That feeling you had when you realized you were just pretending goes along with the alienation effect. It's when we are watching a play or a movie or reading a book and we start to feel like we are part of the story. We get really invested in the characters and what's happening to them. But then, something happens that reminds us that it's not real. Maybe the actors break character or the camera angle changes and we see the set.

When this happens, we feel a little bit disconnected from the story. We remember that it's not real and we start to think about things like why the actors are doing what they're doing, or how the special effects were made. This can be a good thing because it helps us to think critically about what we're watching or reading. But it can also take us out of the experience and make it feel less real.

So the alienation effect is when we are reminded that what we are watching or reading is not real and we feel a little bit disconnected from the story. It's a way for us to think critically about what we're experiencing, but it can also make it feel less immersive.