In the recent past, significant steps have been taken in the technological world regarding social integration and mobile technology. Many people have disconnected from the real world surrounding them due to simplified access to social media. This has created potential dangers and risks for these people and others. This essay will explore the causes and effects of virtual reality on people.
One of the dangers is the sociological and psychological aspects of a person. According to most physicians and psychologists, virtual reality is likely to have long-term implications on the mental and sociological issues of a person due to its immersive technology. It is believed that VR can lead to long-term trauma as well as an adverse shift in attitude, moods, perception, and behaviour (Robb 235-257). VR is also linked to accidents. There have been reported cases of accidental deaths of individuals while playing video games, especially Pokemon Go. There has also been an account of road accidents globally as a result of people playing virtual games while on the road. In Japan, such cases have been confirmed as drivers are immensely absorbed in such games (Seibert and Shafer).
There is also the risk of cybersickness, also termed as virtual-reality sickness. An individual who is cyber sick is likely to experience feelings such as disorientation, nausea, headaches, pallor as well and vomiting. These symptoms are similar to those associated with motion sickness. Cybersickness is thought to be a result of conflicts within the brain (Menzies et al. 173-181).
In truism, virtual reality holds a promising future. However, people’s lack of discipline in using it leads to most of the repercussions, even loss of life. Its scope of use is infinite and has already been seen to boost sectors such as the tourism industry, facilitating travel to most tourist attraction sites without necessarily catching a flight. It should be upon people to use the technology objectively and adequately to avoid long-term implications and accidents.
Work Cited
Barfield, Woodrow. “The Right Of Publicity In Virtual Reality.” Virtual Reality 11.1 (2007): 69-70. Web.
Menzies, R. J. et al. “An Objective Measure For The Visual Fidelity Of Virtual Reality And The Risks Of Falls In A Virtual Environment.” Virtual Reality 20.3 (2016): 173-181. Web.
Robb, Richard A. “Medical Imaging And Virtual Reality: A Personal Perspective.” Virtual Reality 12.4 (2008): 235-257. Web.
Roussou, Maria, Martin Oliver, and Mel Slater. “The Virtual Playground: An Educational Virtual Reality Environment For Evaluating Interactivity And Conceptual Learning.” Virtual Reality 10.3-4 (2006): 227-240. Web.
Seibert, Jonmichael, and Daniel M. Shafer. “Control Mapping In Virtual Reality: Effects On Spatial Presence And Controller Naturalness.” Virtual Reality (2017): n. pag. Web.
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