When Virtual Reality Is A Commodity, Will True Reality Come At A Premium?
[Written March 8, 2017 | First published on ITSPmagazine Podcast]
As technology continues to permeate our world and our lives, more of what we do and how we interact with each other will be replaced by machines and automation; we will shift from a world of virtual reality to a virtual world of reality.
- Our preferences will be determined for us.
- Decisions will be made for us.
- Schedules will be managed for us.
- Homes will be automated for us.
- Driverless cars will take us where we want to go.
This, of course, assumes we actually “go” anywhere at all.
In our new world, we won’t have to leave the comfort of our homes. We will see virtual things and travel to virtual places without ever leaving our preferred physical location — the one that we were instructed to like — all without ever engaging physically with another living being.
In this virtual world, the real climate in our physical location could very well change to match that of the virtual place we are visiting — dropping down to 20°F (-7°C) if we are virtually visiting the Swiss Alps or raising to 130°F (54°C) as if we were actually in Death Valley. We might even get smells — or even tastes — to match the virtual experience we are striving for. Or, perhaps the environment doesn’t change at all — it could all just be in our minds, controlled by the new fancy chip we’re all “wearing.”
While this may be an amazing experience, I suspect we will eventually get bored with this new “reality.” Perhaps we will seek out the physical realities we are now leaving behind as if they were the new “virtual reality.” And, if this is the case, I predict that these old realities will come at a premium price. The last standing antique wooden roller coaster, for example, could be the experience some will reminisce about or even travel to to experience in person, for real.
The virtual world that is driven by technical gadgetry and can be fairly expensive (and out of reach for some) to experience today will become a commodity and we will instead pay big bucks for the older physical world we took for granted and left in the digital dust.
If you agree, what do you think some of these cherished experiences will be? If you don’t agree, why not? Either way, let me know.
Sean Martin, CISSP, Co-Founder, ITSPmagazine Podcast
