According to just about every 2016 technology trend prediction, virtual reality is primed to make the leap from an obscure, experimental concept to a marketable and mainstream product. Perhaps even more so than recent tech-related phenomenon such as drones or hoverboards, virtual reality paraphernalia is setting out to change the way we see the world. Literally.
Virtual reality, or VR, is an immersive technological experience commonly powered by a headset, where the user can view moving, sometimes three-dimensional images. Once relegated to the realm of bad science fiction movies, or fancy gadget conferences, VR is steadily becoming consumer-oriented — and popular. (Though with a price tag of $1100 for The Oculus Rift, VR is a long way off from being accessible for most Australians.)
The dawn of charitable technology
Although VR is normally associated exclusively with gaming, it’s lately been making headlines for the right reasons. At the forefront are charitable institutions which are beginning to use the technology in fascinating ways, and to rewarding effect. Recently, UNICEF in New Zealand invited locals to experience the film ‘Clouds over Sidra’ through VR. It gave people on the streets of Auckland branded VR headsets to transport them to a Syrian refugee camp, through the eyes of twelve-year-old Sidra. Slightly more convincing than someone in a polo shirt chasing you down Pitt Street Mall with a clipboard, don’t you think? UNICEF NZ reported a strong response from the public, resulting in 1 in 6 people donating on the spot — double the normal rate.
Rather than represent a fad, charities and NGO/NFP organisations using VR could usher in a major cultural shift in the way that people give charity. Rather than pouring money into abstract concepts, the classic construction ‘to walk in someone else’s shoes’ is suddenly brought to life using VR.
VR will allow people to experience, in a far more tangible and inspirational way, the plight of particular groups of people — be that refugees, the visually or hearing impaired, or those without clean water. No longer merely dropping coins into a red bucket out of some sense of guilt or obligation.
Changing the face of empathy itself
But what if this is doing something far more significant than encouraging us to give more time or money to charities? What if it is actually changing the face of empathy itself?
The concept of empathy, particularly in the act of giving charity, used to require a hefty amount of imagination to become actionable — it required an onus on the donor to feel moved enough to participate. If prejudices or inconveniences existed, you no longer felt compelled to give charity. For example, if you can’t perceive or grasp the plight of a refugee, then you’re less likely to participate in helping them.
VR, however, transmutes the concept of empathy from internal to external. By placing a new set of eyes over your own, physically, and stepping into the world of another, you are kickstarting an emotional transformation. This is far more powerful than trying to imagine situations of war, terror, or starvation. Even though TV can provide a similar visual experience, it isn’t as complex, leaving out the sensory, tactile experience that VR enables. You can move your head and eyes along with the image; it’s three-dimensional, totally immersive, and impossible to ignore.
Could robots make us more human?
It begs the broader question of what VR means for human agency. Will futuristic technologies actually make people more empathetic, going against the grain of a typically perceived human-less robot or technology? From Frankenstein’s monster to The Terminator, or more recently in Ex-Machina, fictional technoids, androids, and other manmade creations have had the overarching stereotype of existing without human emotions.
Yet in reality, emotional robots are closer than we may think, with Japan pioneering the creation of robots with feelings.
At the crux of this issue is that VR, though a complex technology, is at its most basic function made from nuts and bolts. And yet it is already moving us in an extremely human way.
However, it is also important to problematise the connection between VR and charity. Is it ironic, hypocritical (or maybe just plain awesome?) that VR technology — currently one of the most expensive technologies to purchase — is being used to help the world’s poorest? Will smaller charities that can’t afford to market VR in their quest for donors suddenly become old-hat?
To cast a critical eye would conclude that perhaps VR is a long way off from becoming an orthodox practice of charitable institutions. What’s fascinating is how, along the way, we might just discover that, contrary to our suspicions, technology might just make us more human.
You can experience a charity’s innovative use of VR by watching this interactive 360º short film exploring the life of a disadvantaged child.
