Real or Virtual?
What is real or fake? In our age, where one can Photoshop any visual, it is often difficult to tell if it is an actual photograph or a “deep fake.” However, we are not discussing these slights of the eye.
It is a misconception among the public that VR Worlds are full of stick figures moving awkwardly and the Avatar is simply a crude representation of the human body. This was true 15 years ago but is no longer true today. An avatar can be incredibly realistic, to where it mimics the natural person. Clothing as well.
The photo attached to this post is one of a Second Life (SL) avatar to alleviate any misconception. Lighting is used in the same manner a real photographer would apply it. However, it is not a photograph of a human, but one of the pixels used to generate a human body.
The various psychological ramifications of such technology, especially if they are combined with AR, are endless. While the VR world can represent realism in a 2D environment when coupled with AR, creating an “immersive” experience. One can easily get lost within that new reality or confused between reality and VR.
Many VR users have asked me why more people do not visit their YouTube, Tik-Tok, Discord, Instagram, Flickr, or Facebook pages. Creators spend much time in virtual worlds to disseminate their creations among the usual social network channels. The reason for this is that the moment you remove the actual visual from the virtual world, it becomes static and limited. Videos take on an absurd quality because one is no longer immersed in their VR while watching them. Exporting from a VR to the “normative” world is complex. Importing our reality into VR is a different feature set and already works incredibly well.
For many people, this may seem dangerous to our psyche, and in many ways, it is. Nevertheless, make no mistake. This is the future of those born today and those in the pre-teen category. They will grow up with a different sense of “what is real” than previous generations. Indeed, how many parents reading this piece have been forced to limit their children’s “screen time”?
There are still tremendous hurdles technology must overcome; not the least is computing power. The demands of great internet connections, advanced graphic cards, and memory are all part of the mix. These affect the user experience, which is critical to a VR. It is also essential for AR accruements to allow for an immersive experience.
So look carefully at the photo again. Ask yourselves, is it real? In many ways, it is. Just not the reality you are used to dealing with. Imagine being in a VR 12 hours a day. Then ask yourselves, “what is real?”
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