Tag: VR

The virtual reality video I experienced was one featuring a place of mourning in what looked to be a tunneled area. Many people gathered, from immigrant singers to a blind violinist. After it concluded, the gate holding the people inside lowered and they dispersed out into the city.

VR has the potential to be transformative in the publishing medium. Minor things like movie set visits to major events like war coverages can be experienced in the full HD display of a 360 lens and virtual reality glasses. As a result, I think people may end up feeling more for certain events if they are there at the scene nearly experiencing it for themselves.

What did you experience?

My video captured a man who went around India and decided to photograph people while they were laughing. He realized through looking back on his work that he only photographed people when they looked gloomy, so he started photographing people and instructed them to laugh. He even went to laughing yoga and photographed people there. Towards the end, he performed a sort of reflection on his project and himself as a whole and realized how human emotion is a really impactful thing.

What impact do you think VR will have on publishing?

I think with VR, publishers will be able to provide meaningful supplements to the text pieces they put out. They will be able to capture things in video that they can’t do through text alone, and will be able to really get people to be able to picture the ideals they’re discussing in the text. VR can open up a world of possibilities for publishers for things such as travel articles, covering news stories/events that have happened, or even making sure that

Do you think VR can evoke empathy?

I do believe that VR can evoke empathy. There are lots of people who I think would really change their attitudes about humanity and helping people in general if they could somewhat experience what some people go through on a day to day basis. Making that emotional connection between people can really be achieved through “walking in someone else’s shoes”.

In the New York Times virtual reality app, I experienced a video titled “The Displaced”. This video showed what it was like to be a child in a War Torn country or a refugee camp because of a war torn nation. They brought you out into their country, showed what it was like, “a day in the life” so to speak. You see their struggles and the destruction that is their country.

In publishing, I think VR is the next step. If you can bring an article to life, as NYT has done, people will feel a deeper connection and will feel more informed about a topic. There are so many ways to involve VR in publishing. From reviews of a movie that just came out to pieces on Syria and the refugee crisis. VR is the next step for publishing. In fact, I think we are already there.

I agree that VR can evoke empathy. I have learned how important empathy is for humans, but there is very little of it in the world today. Just telling someone about the refugee crisis, or mental illness, or abuse doesn’t do much. But if you were to show them, put them in the shoes of a refugee, a person with a mental illness, or someone who is abused, they will learn so much more, feel so much more, and be able to see what the problems are in the world. Empathy is key for humans and there is no true way to “learn” empathy. But virtual reality programs such as those in the NYT app can help evoke that response and make it more prevalent in the world.

What did you experience?

I watched a story about Abraham Lincoln visiting the graveyard where his son is buried. Throughout the story, several spirits talk to the viewer about the story’s background. At one point, spirits are gathered around Abe as he holds his son’s body, and the viewer feels like part of the crowd. The spirit of Lincoln’s child proclaims that he could feel his father’s long legs and taste the coffee in his mouth. He declares to the other spirits that his father gained something from holding his dead son. Lincoln then puts his son back in the mausoleum and walks away.

What impact do you think VR will have on publishing?

I think, at this point, VR is still inaccessible for most of a publication’s audience. Even with cheaper cardboard viewing devices, it is asking a lot of people to even set up the VR in the first place. Perhaps as VR becomes more mainstream and in the hands of more people, it could have a wide impact. Certainly, any story told through the eyes of VR is still journalism, so it is already a form of storytelling.

Do you think VR can evoke empathy?

I think VR can evoke plenty of empathy. By placing a 3D camera in an area, the film subjects are less likely to modify their behavior. In fact, some may not even notice at all. This means the viewer gets a more genuine experience that is not tainted by editing. Seeing people or animals or plants as they naturally live is always a refreshing view. I agree with the TED speaker that 3D video allows us to be part of an experience rather than view it. We do move through the window.

One of the three videos I experienced was a classic take on great performers in L.A. Noir. This was an interactive video featuring Don Cheadle. The description read “You are the BARTENDER who sold him out.” In the video Don Cheadle appears to be looking me directly in the eye. I am positioned behind the bar where he slides me a letter to give to someone. Shortly after, two men casually walk in and shoot him in the back out of nowhere. this actually caused me to jump out of shock because I was not expecting it. I felt like I was directly in this situation. This proves that VR has the ability to evoke empathy and make an impact. I think this could really take us places and “make empathy great again” in the future. The best way to relate is to put yourself in that position, and this is the closest way we have been able to do so without literally doing it. I think this will be great for publishing in the future and will enhance the journalism experience. I look forward to seeing how this comes into play within our everyday lives, as right now it is in the beginning stages.

While VR promises a lot and could eventually give a user them ability to transcend time and space and be anywhere at any time. The one VR I watched was the one that followed the new horizon spaceship to Pluto. It makes you feel so small to watch yourself so far away from your home and the Sun. It was amazing to see Pluto so up close and personal.

VR will allow publishing to take the reader anywhere and see whatever the author wants them to see. Just like TV’s did  VR opens up a world of possibility that allows the viewer to be submersed in the content. Publishing will expand and allow the viewer to be more involved in the story.

I think VR does make the viewer feel connected and so they experience more emotions then just watching a screen. I do believe in the right set up and connection a viewer could feel empathy.

On a personal note, VR causes me to feel sick every time i use the technology. I am sure i am not alone in this issue and it will have to be overcome to get any real use or enjoyment out of the tech. I also experienced crappy wifi and the issue of having a very pixelated phone. So while the technology is not perfect today and it has a lot to overcome i can see it growing in the future.

1.) I experienced wild Bison in their natural plains interacting with each other and the camera. Seeing a herd of an animal I have never seen before was very eye opening. It gives me a better sense of their purity and natural awe.

2.) I feel that VR will allow powerful stories to be experienced first hand. This will allow for stories of war, disaster, and trauma to be better appreciated and experienced, opening the eyes of the world and hopefully allowing for a better sense of the world climate.

3.) I do believe VR can evolve empathy. By seeing, as if you are almost there, it leaves a lasting impression on the viewer. Being able to evoke emotion and teach a lesson that print or standard 2D video cannot is what will being others to feel empathetic to those suffering

What did you experience?

I watched the video about Abraham Lincoln going to visit his sons grave. It was very interesting to watch and the ghosts gave it a sort of creepy, sad feeling.

What impact do you think VR will have on Digital Publishing?

I think VR will help make Digital Publishing more interactive for readers. Instead of just reading an article, they can experience the information first hand.

Do you think VR can evoke empathy?

I think it can. VR surrounds you with new circumstances, instead of just reading about it, you are in the same room as the event. Being immersed in that environment can evoke some feelings of empathy.