Virtual reality is a spectrum, and elements of it can be useful in a variety of situations. “Surround Sound” is something that is possible even on mobile devices, as headphones now will have different sounds from the right and left ear. Specials seats to simulate movement has been a mainstay of rollercoasters from “Soaring over California” to the majority of the rides at Universal Studios. Augmented reality, such as phone apps, has been made mainstream by Pokémon Go, and even before that was normalized to an extent by Google Maps. These are also part of a long history of tricking the senses to make someone think they are elsewhere; as Robert Cable points out, theater and the arts have been creating immersive realities for people for hundreds of years (Cable). My own experiences with VR headsets have felt similar to hypnosis, when your senses give conflicting information. Hypnosis is an old practice, which has been formally studied since the 18th century (Orne and Hammer). Thus, treating VR as some unprecedented, frightening thing, is unreasonable. Elements of VR have been present for many years; what is most new are VR goggles, and the proliferation of internet communication.
VR headsets do carry significant problems, which I believe need to be discussed. Screen time has the potential to damage vision (“Developer Warns VR Headset Damaged Eyesight”). As someone who grew up being told to not sit directly in front of the television, I am bemused to be told to place a screen an inch from my eyes. Headsets also cause nausea, which makes VR something that is not accessible to everyone. The benefits of VR – increased communication, “travel,” and educational opportunities – are locked behind a barrier for people who become nauseas when using VR headsets. The headsets are also expensive, creating further barriers, and rely on visual stimulus, locking out the visually impaired. And, as with any technology, I worry that as it becomes prevalent, the choice to “opt out” may no longer be available. If someone has their own health reasons to not use VR, and then classes require virtual trips to a museum, that person is put in an impossible position. Similarly, societal pressures are very strong; if the only way to see friends is to purchase a $300 headset, people will have to use VR whether they like it or not. Finally, VR as it currently stands is a threat to privacy. Oculus requires a Facebook login. In the words of Rory Mir and Katitza Rodriguez, “With this lack of choice, users can no longer freely give meaningful consent and lose the freedom to be anonymous on their own device” (Mir and Rodriguez). Using one of these devices – much like a Google Home or an Alexa – gives up some of your privacy.
That said, the internet communication elements of VR are important. Being able to talk with people far away is a blessing, as the last year has taught us. And using the internet to “visit” museums can share and spread cultural artifacts, without locking them behind the barrier of plane ticket and entry costs (the barrier of purchasing the internet and a computer are still present) (Robson et al.). Many of these projects, such as the Virtual Studiolo, can be viewed from anywhere with an internet connection, and without sacrificing privacy to view (MacNeil). It must be acknowledged that these virtual walkthroughs of museums are often clunky and imperfect. The last year has shown us that physically going outside is different than visiting from an online forum. Part of the “immersion” of a museum can’t be replicated – even by the very best of VR that we have available. However, I find that this is something that can be explored more. I dislike VR headsets, but I think there is a place for Augmented Reality and Virtual visits to sites of cultural heritage – to preserve the sites that would be destroyed by constant tourism and make visiting them more available to everyone. Unfortunately, I think making museums virtual will be largely a labor of love, since the price benefits of selling VR headsets for videogames is much higher, so I anticipate VR will move in that direction.
Works Cited
Cable, Robert. What Is Virtual Reality? | Stanford Humanities. 8 Feb. 2019, https://shc.stanford.edu/news/stories/what-virtual-reality.
“Developer Warns VR Headset Damaged Eyesight.” BBC News, 10 June 2020. www.bbc.com, https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52992675.
MacNeil, Anne. “The Virtual Studiolo.” Storymaps, 12 Feb. 2021, https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/54830bcfdb9f4c878d05d8cbe21cf4c3.
Mir, Rory, and Katitza Rodriguez. “If Privacy Dies in VR, It Dies in Real Life.” Electronic Frontier Foundation, 25 Aug. 2020, https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/08/if-privacy-dies-vr-it-dies-real-life.
Orne, Martin T., and A. Gordon Hammer. “Hypnosis | Definition, History, Techniques, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/science/hypnosis. Accessed 7 May 2021.
Robson, Stuart, et al. “3D Recording and Museums.” Digital Humanities in Practice, https://eds-a-ebscohost-com.libproxy.chapman.edu/eds/ebookviewer/ebook?sid=c6ee6c9e-ba7a-4988-9374-92ea77b3e148%40sdc-v-sessmgr01&ppid=pp_91&vid=0&format=EB. Accessed 7 May 2021.