Virtual Mediums

Inspired by last class’ discussion regarding what is virtual and what is real, I felt I should clarify my point of view in writing.

With the emergence of new technology, I’m starting to realize that world’s we once considered to be virtual are not in fact virtual. Rather, I believe that virtuality should refer to immersions or platforms that are purely based on fiction, where there is no interaction with other individuals, rather just AI. Virtual worlds can include single-player video games where you undertake a character’s perspective and engage in a purely fictional world. Other examples may include, despite not being purely tech-based, but fictional novels. I believe fictional novels, especially those written in first-person, induce a sense of immersion which create a subconscious virtual world. However, with the advancement of our technology, we are now able to induce the same immersion into a virtual world in a more visual and auditory way. For future prospects, I think there is a very high possibility we will be able to control or induce dreams. The topic is already in development to help treat PTSD victims or those suffering from anxiety-related disorders. Therefore, in that future, I believe this would still fall under the category of virtual worlds.

Personally, I think that the phenomenon we were referring to should be classified as a virtual medium. When we were having a “virtual classroom” through Zoom, we were not immersed in a virtual world, nor were we virtual to one another, rather, we were in a virtual medium. If we were to consider that as virtual, then any form of none face-to-face communication from phone calls to passenger pigeons would be considered virtual as well. Instead, the presence of another human that is actively interacting with you is real, just through a virtual platform. The concept gets more complicated when we begin considering something like online video-games. There, two or multiple humans are in-fact interacting, however all the events occuring are absolutely virtual. After putting some thought to it, I have come to the conclusion that it should once-again be considered real through virtual mediums. The reason for which I state this is because of the purpose. The main reason people play together in online games is to develop their relationship through an enjoyable activity. The same applies to playing sports with people in real-life. Therefore, despite the purely virtual world and events, the presence of interaction between real-people makes it, real. However, the development of virtual mediums and their technology makes the line everso thin once more.

I’m pretty sure there are other perspectives to this, so please let me know what you guys think about this, I’d really like to know if anyone disagrees with this.