What is Real? A Dive Into a New Digital Reality
Some of the highlights of my childhood involve the absence of technology. Like every kid, of course I loved to come home from school and zone out on the couch to Disney Channel; however the best memories I have don’t all include those moments. The memories that are clear in my mind include searching for snakes in my backyard with my older brothers who would then use the said snakes to chase me. Or making food out of a dirt and forcing my mom to act as though I made some five-star cuisine in the sandbox. Although small, and rather disgusting, it is these moments that I oddly cherish.
Now, my outdoor time is mostly spent walking, as my mud pie days have diminished. When I walk somewhere in the city I live in, I am either listening to music, on a call with a friend, or strolling along to a miscellaneous podcast. The last time I walked without an extra form of technological stimulation, my airpods were dead or I was with another person. And let me tell you, it felt like how I pictured Ralph Waldo Emerson lived. Why is it so difficult for me to live in the moment, and what impact has technology had on imagination?
A recent shift in digital culture has been the development of augmented reality, in which real life objects are enhanced by technology and can make you feel as though something is present, without this object really being present. For example, the app “Pokemon Go” was one of the most popular examples of this AR development, and had people all over the world coming together to catch objects that were not actually there. Some would argue an advancement like this would enhance imagination, and even push people to go outside. But in what ways can AR begin to ruin a society?
https://sensortower.com/blog/pokemon-go-one-billion-revenue-2020
For starters, augmented reality tends to shift our perception of social realism, engagement, and sensory presence. It has us thinking, what is actually real and what is being manipulated by technology? Soon, we won’t have to think for ourselves, because these virtual reality and augmented reality machines will do all the work for us. For me, this sounds like a robotic dystopia that I wish to not partake in. Children will now grow up learning through screens instead of their own eyes. That thought scares me and should instill fear in most people. To think that one day we will all operate as one robotic society with little to no imagination makes me wish that as great as technology has been, that it doesn’t advance much further.
How is life already a virtual reality? With the COVID pandemic, the last time most of us met in person with coworkers or fellow peers now stretches beyond an entire year. Group meetings are now performed online where you can be cooking breakfast, watching Tik Tok videos, or even in the car for all your peers know. At any moment you can disappear with the simple click of the camera/microphone button, and you now exist as a black box. I know in pre-COVID times this would seem like a dream, but the reality of it is truly life-threatening. For someone like me who thrives on human interaction, this type of virtual reality has led to a decrease in focus, imagination and mental health. How worse will these things get once virtual reality becomes a norm?