In my opinion, the other mediums we have now (internet, television, etc) are already turning millions of people into couch potatoes. Society has made it so if you don't want to leave your house, or room for that matter, you don't have to. So if someone is already capable of furthering themselves from "reality," why would they want to go any farther. There are computer programs such as Second-Life, that make it possible to create a character of yourself and dive into other worlds. So this Cave that Plato suggests we live in is already there. People are able to enjoy the shadows with the mediums we already have without VR.
I think that VR hasn't come to fruition yet because there are a lot of restrictions in its capabilities. Like Zettl points out, the motion and movement is limited through hand and head movements from a fixed place. With the Internet, you can move about anywhere in the world now. To have to stay in one area, such as your basement, or even worse a place outside of the home, would be extremely burdensome. I agree when he says, "we watch rather than enter the displayed environment."
VR has been showing up in bits and pieces, such as 360 degree images, game controllers that vibrate, and in certain arcade/amusement parks like DisneyQuest at DisneyWorld.
ReplyDeleteYea when I was younger I did the VR rides at Disney Quest. It was cool but when I look back it could have definitely been a lot better. I just don't think we've reached the full force that scholars in the early 90s envisioned.
ReplyDeleteNot gonna lie, I haven't left my room yet today because of technology!
ReplyDelete