Destruction Of The Myth Of VAR Technology

VAR reappeared in the 2022 Qatar World Cup after its debut in World Cup 201 8.After 6 years of development,the effect is still not as good as expected,and this technology,which has been controversial since the inception,needs to be understood in depth from new perspectives.Based on theories of communication,the article borrows insights from mediatization,philosophy of technology,and semiotics,and explores the nature,causes,and effects of the VAR phenomenon,which takes the recent 2022 Qatar World Cup as a case study and finally deconstructs the technical myth of VAR.The article makes a detailed statement of the background and significance of the study in the introduction.At the same time,this part also includes the literature review of two segments of philosophy of technology and VAR,and creates visual representations to exhibits the concept and development of philosophy of technology.Data analysing application CiteSpace 6.1(R3)is applied to sort out the two segments of philosophy of technology research and VAR research,and explore the development of philosophy of technology in recent years referring to the number of annual publications,keyword clustering,emergent nodes,and other relevant aspects.The article also reviews domestic and international researches in VAR,compares commonalities and individualities,and try to discover a new perspective of VAR research.The article focuses on the phenomenon of VAR at the 2022 Qatar World Cup,adopting various research methods such as case study,and comparative analysis to explore VAR from three main theoretical perspectives:mediatization theory,philosophy of technology,and semiotic theory,analyzing the nature of VAR,investigating the effects of VAR on human beings and the deep crisis behind VAR.With regard to mediatization,the article argues that facilitated by the popularity of mediatization of sports,the introduction of VAR provides human referees with different camera angles to check potentially contentious decisions,and a possibility to replace human referees.Therefore,engagement between sports and the media is much closer and soccer can be read off from media.On the philosophy of technology,this article draws on the inputs of philosophers such as Ihde’s human-technology relations and Mitcham’s four modes of manifestation of technology to explore the science of VAR.The article argues that the essence of VAR is video technology,which is not only a technical object but also a technical system.This system includes VAR technical knowledge,VAR technical volition,and VAR technical activity.At the same time,VAR has a complex relationship with people and different relationships with roles in soccer games.There are embodied relationships between the main referee and VAR technology,interpretive relationships between the VAR referee team and VAR technology,ontological relationships between technicians and VAR technology,and background relationships between audiences and VAR technology.In the semiotic examination section,the article employs myth theory to explore the technological myth brought about by VAR,while exposing the contemporary football symbolic crisis hidden behind the technological myth.In conclusion,a comprehensive comprehension of the VAR technology phenomenon necessitates a multifaceted approach that transcends singular perspectives.Limiting the discussion of technology to terms alone may impede the attainment of a deeper understanding.This article concludes with a summary and reflection,emphasizing the need for future research to explore the profound transformative effects of VAR technology through innovative research perspectives and constructive research themes.