7th Entry: The Consequences of Limitless Technology
Greetings all and welcome to my 7th entry focused on the emerging technology of virtual reality. We have discussed the place of VR in a classroom, in industry, and at home as well as the developments, applications, and costs associated with it. One thing we have yet to discuss is the first question that should have been asked, should we develop this technology? While the answer to this question is obviously yes, given today’s social environment and technology driven…well, everything, some may posit that we spent so much time basking in the glory of what we could accomplish with this technology that no one ever stopped to wonder if we should.
We are all aware of the emphasis on technology development
throughout a majority of the world, but I would like to focus on one nation for
the purposes of this discussion, Korea.
I recently spent a year on assignment in Korea and I must say that when
it comes to technology development, internet access, and the use of technology
in society, the United States does not even come close to the levels at which
Korea functions in a digital world. During
my year, I cannot think of a single time that I was not able to connect, in a
much faster way than I was used to, to the internet. The abundance of closed-circuit television
cameras in the small nation is astonishing as well placing them 8th
on the worldwide list with over 1 million cameras (nearly 2 cameras for every
100 people), which is saying a lot for a country that is roughly the size of
the state of Indiana.
While Korea is a growing tech giant, the consequences of
unlimited access and vast distribution of technology are fairly apparent in
Korean society. Korea plays host to
countless gaming cafes where users are able to access online games, including
virtual reality platforms. Further,
these facilities rarely close, and are nearly always filled to capacity. The amount of time spent in these virtual
worlds has been documented to have a heavy impact on the functioning of Korean
society. Please see the following link
for a few examples of technology-related social issues in the nation of Korea. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/mar/05/korean-girl-starved-online-game
As educators, we must seek to expand the learning environment
in any way that we can, but we must also ensure that we maintain a focus, and
place at a premium, the safety of our learners and our societies. One can get lost in a virtual world and
consumed by the realism and limitless boundaries so we, much like the majority
of VR developers, must maintain that actual reality is and always will be more
important that virtual reality. Until
next time…
-Donny
References:
AIT News Desk. (2019, December 5). Top 10 Countries And Cities By Number Of CCTV Cameras. Retrieved from AIThority.com: https://aithority.com/news/top-10-countries-and-cities-by-number-of-cctv-cameras/#:~:text=China%20has%20at%20least%20200,5.2%20million%20CCTV%20Cameras%20each.
Tran, M. (2010, March 5). Girl starved to death while parents raised virtual child in online game. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/mar/05/korean-girl-starved-online-game
Donny
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you have ever read Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (or the movie). The novel deals with some of the same issues you brought up. The economy is in shambles and everyone pretty much lives online using VR sets to immerse themselves in a constructed world that is better then the one they physically exist in. I don't think that addiction to games is just a virtual problem but I can see how the more it is used some people will turn to this outlet for relief from there everyday life. I think that the possibilities outweigh the risk. Just think of being able to create new technologies such as space crafts virtually with little cost or risk. Making design errors in the Virtual space allows designers to learn from their mistakes. These lessons learned in virtual space will save real lives in the future. Thanks for your post.
Tammy
Hi Tammy,
DeleteI didn't read the book, but I did see the movie. I do believe that some people look at VR as a way to live in an alternate reality, but I think we are far from achieving the technology in the movie/book. The technology in the movie allows you to utilize all of your senses within VR, which is something that most VR developers are trying to achieve. It would be crazy if they develop some suit that allows you to sense everything in a virtual world. Great thoughts!
Donny,
ReplyDeleteYou make some great points about placing a premium on our learners and society. In reading the article you recommended it is astonishing how heavily they are into virtual reality in their society. I could not believe that they starved their three -month-old daughter to death because they would rather play computer games. This is troubling and can almost in my opinion be an addiction where some people now are just so obsessed with virtual reality instead of having social interactions with one another. Also, Tammy brought up some good points as well. I have seen the movie ready player one and it was interesting how in the movie the characters never knew themselves at first but only by their Avatar name and how they wanted to appear in the virtual world and not physically as themselves. Lastly, I agree with Tammy that the benefits outweigh the risk if it being used for things that are going to be productive in our society. Great Post. Thanks for sharing.
Alex
Donny,
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy reading your Blog, this weeks post was very interesting to me. I agree with you on that we need to be cautious on how far we dive into the VR world. You statement "...no one ever stopped to wonder if we should." Reminds me of the movie "Jurassic Park", just because we CAN do something does not mean we should. Have you seen "Walle"? The people with their mind immersed in their digital world they lost their humanity and got really fat! However, You are correct, we need to explore it, but with out getting lost in it. If we do not people like me ,a social, pack animal, would disappear. And I like me! Thank you another good post.
Andy D.
Donny,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great question especially for an older generation like me. The older generation tends to push against technology but in this case, there is no reason to. I think there are numerous reasons that we should embrace the virtual reality world. The biggest reason to me is that it is not just a toy, rather it is a medium. This kind of technology although often thought about mainly for gaming, can be used for things such as news and documentaries. There are also of course things like the ability to have 360-degree videos that make you feel like you are inside the video. I think this kind of technology can make huge gains in fixing complex problems. Things like PTSD are being combated with virtual reality. It can virtually be seen now all over the healthcare field. Anything from surgical training tools to fitness can all benefit from this technology. It is time we embrace this technology and use it to gain all the benefit we can. Have a great day!
-Kevin
Donny,
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you are talking about when it comes to Korea. I went to Korea in December for business and it was amazing the amount of tech that was in Seoul. Walking down the streets there was access to the internet everywhere. I saw video clubs that had gaming rooms with VR everywhere. Since it was a small amount of time I was not able to take advantage of any of that. I do think there are many areas that take advantage of technology more than we do in the United States socially. We do have an advantage in household uses for VR compared to many places in the world.
Donny, the article you linked was seriously disturbing. I cannot imagine how anyone could care more for a virtual world than a real one, let alone a virtual child. However, I still see a benefit to the technology from an educational perspective and I also think that the article had situations that would not be considered to be the normal. The whole topic is fascinating. Tammy brought up Ready Player One and I was thinking the same thing. For some virtual is there "Real" I suppose.
ReplyDelete-Mandy
Donny,
ReplyDeleteI see a lot of references to Ready Player One in the replies and it is exactly what I was thinking as well. In fact, I recently saw an article (I could not find it) about young people in Japan (I believe) that “failed to launch” and were still living with their parents because they preferred living in a virtual or MMORPG world than having to deal with the stressors of life. The parents were concerned about the survival of their children (adults) once they died. But to answer your question, I saw some interesting perspectives in the replies. Andy D echoed Jurassic Park and Kevin argued for all the benefits it currently (already) provides. My major concern is that we must endeavor to understand how it can be used for evil. Other than that I think we must move forward with the intent to do good and provide value.
Mike W.
Donny,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that we must continue to develop technologies and leverage each technology where we can to enhance education. That said, we must ensure that we do not get so lost or reliant on a virtual world that we become detached from reality. It is hard to believe some of the stories like the ones you shared of a child that died due to parental neglect as they focused more on the raising of a virtual child. Technology is great until it gets out of hand. As instructional designers in the field of education and for many of us parents, it is imperative that we educate our youth on the dangers of technology while simultaneously doing what we can to leverage technology for the benefit of education. Great post!
Anthony
Donny,
ReplyDeleteThis is the same question that comes up in the social dilemma. They talk about when they where designing all of the social platforms they where so focused on the good they could do that they never considered the bad that could come from it too. They even got to the point of suggesting that there be legislation in place requiring tech company to conduct impact studies prior to releasing new technology. Now, I don't think this is really the way because that limits the imagination of tech creators, but you are right we must ask the question, "should we do this"