Virtual Reality- a crucial advancement in technology and the future of journalism
Virtual reality is becoming a dominant part of the future- both technologically and journalistically. Establishing a forefront for the future with a new immersive technology is paramount to growing in today’s society.
Virtual reality is “the computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by a person using special electronic equipment, such as a helmet with a screen inside or gloves fitted with sensors” (dictionary.com). VR is used in video games, medicine, engineering, design, entertainment, films, education, media and other forms.
Virtual reality is a technology that can bring people places they might not otherwise reach. — John Patrick Pullen, Time Magazine
VR technology creates a means to show people immersive videos of world wide events, epidemics, sporting events, concerts, etc. that individuals would otherwise not be able to see.
This advancement in technology is so effective for journalists because it creates the foundation for a broader form of news and storytelling. Virtual reality is still developing and growing, but I feel like it is going to become a very successful medium for journalists in the near future.
A key example of virtual reality that’s used as a means of revealing information about a world wide issue is Project Syria. Project Syria is a VR video game created in 2013 by the World Economic Forum, that combines VR technologies with visuals and audio captured from a tragic event in Syria. Coupling these technologies allows the user to be “transported” to the scene and feel as though he or she is right in the middle of the crisis.
Nearly one half of Syria’s 23 million people have been displaced in its civil war and no group has been as severely affected as children. Children make up more than half of the three million refugees living in camps or makeshift housing and some news reports indicate that children are actually being specifically targeted in the violence. — steampowered.org
A game like Project Syria illuminates users on a major crisis that he or she may otherwise be unaware of or uneducated on, and it allows for awareness to be raised on the matter. Other similar VR video pieces are Ivory Burn (2016), Donald Trump Rally (2016), 6x9: Solitary Confinement (2016), The Fight for Falluja (2016), Pencils of Promise (2015) and Hajj 360 (2015).
Like many technologies, virtual reality has its pros and cons. I think the biggest benefit of VR is the emotional connection that is established when an individual puts on a VR headset and sees a video like Project Syria. Some things are unable to be understood until they are seen, and that is especially true with world wide epidemics. Creating this emotional connection will make viewers want to share the video with their families and friends, and that allows the video to receive more clicks which is good for companies like NBC, which has already begun incorporating VR in the newsroom.
I believe the most significant downfall with VR is cost. It’s realistic for bigger corporations like NBC, FOX and CNN to utilize virtual reality technology, but for smaller, more local news rooms it will be harder to fund. Filmora highlights several pros and cons of VR.
Virtual reality will become more successful than mediums like newspapers or 360 video because of how immersive VR is. The headset allows a user to be completely engaged in a video as opposed to print journalism which uses only words to tell a story, and 360 video which uses still images to share news.
As we move forward in a world that thrives off of growing technologies, mediums like virtual reality are going to make a substantial impact on how people view the world.
