Let’s face it – virtual reality is taking the real world by storm. I don’t know about you, but I have very mixed feelings about this growing technology.
Funny enough, the photo on the right is me! I work at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and they used a virtual reality headset for their Empowering Women exhibit (I got to be the model for the website photo because I’m so dang attractive). The VR immersed visitors in the world of Guatemala, discussing the situation there regarding working women. In this sense, the VR was a really fun, interactive way to educate people on a heavy subject.
Indeed, authentic entertainment and interactive education are both great pros to this technology, but I’m afraid that people will become addicted to living in a virtual reality and neglect their duties as a real person in the real world.
Another problem is that people can get away with things in a virtual reality that they can’t get away with in the real world (for example, killing people in a video game). I’m afraid that people will start to think it’s okay to do things like this in the real world, and that is a very dangerous thing.
This technology is growing at an exponential rate, and it could be dangerous. It could also be a really great tool, but only if we use it for the right reasons. Let’s just hope it doesn’t all end like that Black Mirror episode, Playtest.
emilyelizabeth 