Apple recently released their new Vision Pro headsets. The innovative goggles serve as virtual desktop computer that blend our surrounding with media. When Vision Pro was released on February 2, 2024, I could not help but think of the 2018 sci-fi movie, Ready Player One.
The movie adaption of Ernest Christy Cline’s 2018 novel follows a young man in a future society who escapes his reality by immersing himself in a virtual world.
As the story unfolds, the film’s central theme emerges, revolving around the profound significance of reconnecting individuals with their authentic realities. It highlights the delicate balance between the allure of virtual escapism and the fulfillment found in human connection and real-world experiences.
Furthermore, the film provides a thought-provoking exploration of the complex relationship between humans and technology. It invites audiences to consider the potential consequences of becoming overly reliant on virtual realms and the impact this can have on our sense of community, purpose, and well-being.
One can say we are already experiencing this with younger generations who are glued to their cell phones. Can Vision Pro one day be an escape from the reality we currently live in, to the point it starts lessening the human connection?
Or can this be the perfect time to handle the narrative of virtual reality? How can virtual reality help us in the renaissance of news outlets?
As a future journalist, I have to stay innovative on the way we share information, and also be an ambassador of media literacy. Virtual reality can be the new approach we share news and revamp up the trust between audiences and news platforms.
Virtual reality is here to stay and dramatically being revamped as technology becomes more advanced. By staying on top of the game, journalism can be transformed to something fresh and exciting.
Unlike Ready Player One, we have to find ways technology works with us, and not for us. By providing a way to virtually submerge your audience into the information, we can provide several elements of multi-media to tell a story.
Journalist can eliminate distrust by providing several elements of where the information was taken from. For example, lets take a story about anti-abortion laws in California. We can provide the user several types a media such the house bill drafted by local legislators, then the VR device can transport you to a Planned Parenthood center where you can experience being in the middle of a protest. You can continue exploring the article by seeing both sides of the story and eliminate any distrust from the journalist or news platform.
Lastly, as ambassadors of media literacy we have to stay vigilant on ways information can be twisted or changed. As mentioned, this is the perfect time to work with technology leaders and VR content creators in enforcing ethics and being in the forefront of media literacy. There will be, without a doubt, new issues on the horizon that we haven’t fathom; but staying imaginative and creative can help.
As humans, sharing information, should connect us and not keep us apart. One day I hope to reference this article and see how far VR has come. Let’s hope we don’t follow the same story as Ready Player One, but potentially a new way we connect with the world and receive information.
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