Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality is yet another advancement in New Communication Technologies. Will it cause people, and society as a whole, to lose their 'grip' on the real world? Or is it purely a continuation of technological advancement that allows humans to explore imaginary places? Like any other technology created by man, Virtual Reality has both negative and positive effects (Oravec, 1996).Virtual Reality (VR) is a system that enables single or multiple users to move and react in a computer simulated environment. It contains various types of devices, which allow users to sense and manipulate virtual objects the same way as they would real objects. VR's natural style of interaction allows participants the feeling of being immersed in the simulated world. The virtual worlds in which participants are immersed are created by mathematical models and computer programs (Zeltzer, 2000).Virtual Reality, when effective, creates an environment with
VR can also, and in some case has already, been very successful in areas such as military, training/education, surgery, entertainment, advertising, and tourism (NCT Course Content, 2001). It may be used so frequently, that humans will use the virtual world as a means of escape. The major concern of some critics is that Virtual Reality will "use us in the future by becoming too large for us to control" (Kalli, Chritine, 2000, p. A very alarming example of VR in the future can be seen in William Gibson's Fragments of a Hologram Rose. Perhaps VR is merely a continuation in the advancement of communication technologies; people are apprehensive towards what is new (Rosengren, 1981). It is appropriate to remember that similar fears of change in the 'real world' were heightened in the time of creation of other new communication technologies. Critics expressed concern when previous technological advancements were created such as video games and television, in fear that people would lose their 'grip' on the real world (Rosengren, 1981). On the whole, Virtual Reality is a remarkable advancement in technology that has the potential to be used for the better of mankind. This world of cities made of plywood and cardboard, lack of human contact or exercise, brown-outs, plastic roses, and loosely defined governments and territories shifting to suit a black-market economy, is an alarming thought indeed (Gibson, 1977).
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Acceptance Essays
