I haven’t posted in a bit and instead of actually writing, I found some old papers from undergrad that I will simply repost. The first one is on VR and its social applications for an emerging technologies class (looking at you Jim Moran). I found my old drive of files back then and wanted to post it and see how it stands up 5 years later (post META pivot of course). I’m posting the original paper with no edits, but I do want to acknowledge some of the content and how it has aged (poorly in some cases –>). I have a section covering the idea of VR as an “empathy machine” and talk about an experience that simulates assault at a party. While at the time the research wasn’t exactly very in-depth, more has come out lately that points to some potential issues with these “in their shoes” experiences and its applications (https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/04/19/virtual-reality-sexual-harassment-training/). Overall, I was definitely more optimistic (some might say naive) about virtual reality and its potential but this was before I had any serious experience in the field or anything of the sort. I think I got like a decent grade on it but this was for a business technology class, not any hard science or research based class so don’t expect a thesis on human machine interaction. Anyway, feel free to read below and judge my 19 year old self’s misplaced confidence in VR [WELCOME TO THE METAVERSE BABY]

Virtual Reality in Society: The State of VR and its Social Applications

Diego Veras

Florida State University

Abstract

Virtual reality is an emerging technology that has been identified for its potential in industries such as gaming, entertainment, and research. Society for the most part is still not informed on virtual reality and the technology behind it and so they tend to pigeonhole it as a gimmick or extension of video games. The purpose of this paper is to show that virtual reality’s most powerful applications are actually in the field of social reform and elaborate on those possible uses. Society is at a point in history where we face challenges as whole that we have never encountered before. Our lack of solutions and progress forward has created hostility, frustration, and held us back from advancing towards a better world. Research from sources across industries has shown that virtual reality is the key to progress due to its uses as an empathy machine, educational tool, and therapeutic aid. The hope is that by shedding light on the powerful applications for this technology, society will embrace the technology and continue to pursue a brighter future.

Diego Veras 10/28/17 ENT4934

Virtual Reality in Society: The State of VR and its Social Applications

Around 2014, developer and engineer Michael Abrash joined Oculus and stated that “Virtual reality is the Final Platform - the platform to end all platforms.” When analyzing the changes in society and technology, one can’t help but come to the same conclusion. Once the reality of virtual reality sinks in (pun not intended), the seemingly infinite applications for this technology start to flash across most people’s minds and typically this includes entertainment, gaming, and even real estate. However, the true power behind virtual reality lies in its potential to impact social reform. For the first time in history, it is literally possible to walk a mile in someone’s shoes and in the midst of social unrest, virtual reality has the potential to be used as an empathy machine, a platform for education, and as a therapeutic aid.

Before diving into the world of virtual reality and VR technology, a foundation of knowledge must be established. As with most disruptive technology, the general public is still only aware of virtual reality through flashes of online content and headlines. However, the origins of the concept and technology trace back farther than most people think, starting in 1938 when a French collection of essays used the term “la realite virtuelle”, in reference to the nature of objects and illusions. This phrase unsurprisingly translates to “virtual reality” (Artaud, Le Theatre et son doble) and is the first published use of the term. The idea of a separate reality continued to snowball from the early origins and development of the 1930s onto the height of the science fiction craze in the 70s and 80s. Amongst this wave of technological fiction, novels such as “Pygmalion’s Spectacles”, “Neuromancer”, and “Snow Crash” stood out due to their vision of what society and humanity would be like in the future with the application of virtual reality. As the idea of virtual reality started to spark inside the minds of some, the technology that could bring it to life began to emerge and catch up with our imaginations.

In the late 20th century, fiction began to inspire the world’s minds and the first physical prototypes were formed. In 1960, Morton Heilig invented what is considered the first head mounted display (HMD). This headset was called the Telesphere Mask (Virtual Reality Society, n.d.) and although it lacked the motion tracking of its descendants, it did feature stereoscopic 3D and wide vision with stereo sound. Just a year later, the first motion tracking HMD was built and was implemented for military applications. As time passed, each iteration of headsets and hardware began to advance more and more and the virtual reality industry began to form its identity. By the 21st century, the key players had carved out their niche and created the headsets and programs we recognize today, including the Oculus Rift, Google’s Cardboard, and Sony’s PlayStation VR (details on current hardware can be found in Table 1.1)

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Table 1.1

Alongside the hardware advancements of the past decades, the software and imaging behind VR programming has continued to grow and advance almost exponentially. The original programs from the early days were very simple, with military simulations and films used as the experience inside the headsets. As time has passed, the programming has increased in complexity and diversity, and today’s VR software ranges from interactive games, to architectural and real estate experiences, and even entire worlds created by developers where people can interact with one another in real time, no matter the distance. The explosion in VR software development has been forecasted by the projected market size for VR technology around the world and points to even more advanced development and programming in the near future (Figure 1.1).

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Figure 1.1

Source: Superdata and VRFocus

At this point in history, the real power of virtual reality is just being uncovered. Most people naturally point at the gaming industry when they think of possible applications, but as we begin to implement the technology in our lives, people will finally be able to grasp the possibilities this new platform holds. Amongst the most potentially impactful applications lies in the use of virtual reality as an “empathy machine”.

As more and more social issues rise in our inter-connected world, the saying “put yourself in someone else’s shoes” starts to weigh heavy. We live in the most connected time period in history, and yet we cannot seem to push past these social conflicts that keep setting us back. Virtual reality grants us the opportunity to turn a phrase into a tool to improve the world we live in. The logic is very simple, the execution even more so. Due to the advancements in technology today, when a person slips into virtual reality, the majority of their stimuli comes from the virtual program, not the outside world. This sounds straight forward, but when this occurs, the mind and body are tricked into believing this new reality. When the program is a Ping-Pong game, virtual reality just appears to be a gimmick for the tech savvy. But when the Ping-Pong game is replaced with a live scene from warfare in the Middle East, the gimmick stops and the power of this technology sinks in. Immersion leads to true engagement, and this engagement is the key to increasing empathy amongst people all over the world. There are several programs and companies today that are aiming to push this “empathy machine” use of virtual reality and although the pool size for feedback is small, research continues to expand and point towards a real effect on those who experience full immersion in these situations. A great example of the power that immersion in virtual reality truly possesses comes from a VR film that was released at the Sundance Music Festival in 2015. Created by Rose Troche and Morris May, the film takes you through two perspectives. Set in a college party, the film begins with the perspective of the male and alternates with the perspective of the female. Sounds straight forward enough, but the experience takes a turn for the worse when an innocent meeting at a party begins to progress into a harrowing experience that 1 in 5 female college students go through. In the end, the perspective of the female wakes up after being assaulted, full of confusion and with a message left on her leg with pen, “You are fun.” Sounds extreme, but the power of virtual reality is that it truly puts you in the place of the man, who initially just looks like a normal college student trying to hit it off with a girl, but as the night progresses his decisions stray from normal to criminal, which shows the user how easily things can go wrong. Although its hard to quantify the data that came from the release in 2015, those who experienced the film were left crying, shaken, and moved to take action against campus assault (Specular Theory, 2015). Other similar immersive films include experiences in the middle of Syrian warfare, police brutality situations, and political marches.

In the end, virtual reality won’t end all the problems that arise as society continues its march forward into the future. However, this new medium that VR technology has created will be critical in shifting cultural differences and addressing societal problems. As was said earlier, we are now able to literally step into another’s shoes and see the world and experience it in ways that were impossible before. This is a new frontier in social change, and now more than ever, we will need to use this empathy machine to face challenges together.

Moving forward past the idea of an empathy machine, virtual reality as a technology can also be applied for social change as a platform for the advancement of education. Education as a whole hasn’t improved drastically in decades, which in any other field is unthinkable. Stagnation kills, and the only way society can advance is to embrace the potential of VR and education. The first and most obvious educational application for virtual reality is field trips. An example of this is can be seen in Virginia, where the Arlington Science Focus School uses the Oculus Rift to take students on field trips to places such as the Amazon river, where students can literally be immersed in the forest and still learn due to the ingrained educational text that appear as students approach a particular animal or fauna (Babcock, 2017).

The potential in integrating virtual reality and education is most noticeable when analyzing the learning styles of students. As shown by Figure 2.1, students all have different preferences when it comes to how they learn best and the struggle in the modern educational system appears to be how to cater to the diverse ways that humans learn. Virtual Reality essentially helps to merge the learning styles and provide a full experience that combines verbal, visual, auditory, and tactile methods of education. Further more, the possible programs that can be developed for virtual reality in education are as infinite as the amount of knowledge that exists in the world. Programs like the Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford are already taking advantage of VR and using the technology to educate people on subjects like climate change, physics, and resource conservation (Virtual Human Interaction Lab, n.d.). People can experiment with dangerous chemicals with no fear of actual damage when they are inside a VR chemistry lab, or practice heart surgery before stepping into an actual operating room, or experience the Renaissance in person as they learn how the modern world developed. We are on the cusp of revolutionizing learning and education, which will only be catalyst for positive change in the world around us.

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Figure 2.1

Source: Diablo Valley College and 4faculty.org

The third application for virtual reality and social change is the use of VR technology for therapeutic purposes. Research shows that mental health issues are consistently increasing across the population and society has not found an effective way to counter this epidemic. Mental health issues are so widespread that about 20% of people in the U.S. have a diagnosable mental disorder (Insel, 2015). This is where virtual reality can step in and make strides towards turning the tide against mental illness. Examples of methods of VR therapy include remote tele therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and immersive therapy (Senson, 2016). To elaborate on some of those methods, consider cognitive behavioral therapy and immersive therapy. The logic behind those two methods revolves around exposing patients to those triggers or factors that create anxiety, depression, or stress. However, this method has always been limited by the lack of safety and inconvenience of exposing patients who have extreme fears or dangerous stressors. Virtual reality allows medical professionals to expose their patients to those triggers and objects of fear in a safe and controlled environment.

For proven therapeutic results, one only needs to look at the effectiveness of VR therapy when dealing with patients that suffer from PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder develops after exposure to trauma and plagues around 24.4 million Americans today, and innumerable others worldwide (PTSD united, n.d.). Virtual reality has been used to tackle this disease since the 90s and studies have shown that it is just as effective as drug therapy with some studies even putting it above drug therapy (Senson, 2016). Countless testimonies have been published from those who were able to surpass their trauma thanks to the integration of immersive therapy and virtual reality and it is not unreasonable to believe that this technology will be successful in helping those who suffer from other mental illnesses as well. Mental illness is continually on the rise and has been a tough opponent for society to defeat, but the application of virtual reality in therapeutic techniques will give us a chance at fighting back and helping those who are suffering in silence all across the world.

Society today is facing challenges that it has never come across. Now more than ever we need something to shift the paradigm and virtual reality presents us with the opportunity to overcome those challenges that continue to plague us. Although there are many applications and uses for the technology, there are some that can be used for social reform and positive change and they include using virtual reality technology as an empathy machine, an educational platform, and for therapeutic purposes. Society needs solutions and virtual reality might just be the one we need because as Bill Gates said, “We are all created equal in the virtual world and we can use this equality to help address some of the sociological problems that society has yet to solve in the physical world.”