Virtual Reality For Empathy Versus Entertainment
Facebook’s virtual reality tour of Puerto Rico offers a case study in what happens all too often when Silicon Valley attempts to apply its technological capabilities to the humanitarian world. From talking about “really cool” applications to an “interesting video” of destruction to describing standing in the midst of a completely destroyed town as “really magical,” the disaster itself becomes secondary to the technology demo, with the narrators seemingly oblivious to the scenes of destruction and pain surrounding them as they laugh and high five against the backdrop of a flooded street.
In response to the backlash against the tour, Zuckerberg subsequently issued the brief apology “One of the most powerful features of VR is empathy. My goal here was to show how VR can raise awareness and help us see what's happening in different parts of the world. I also wanted to share the news of our partnership with the Red Cross to help with the recovery. Reading some of the comments, I realize this wasn't clear, and I'm sorry to anyone this offended.”
In stark contrast to Facebook’s approach is the Emmy-nominated virtual reality film Behind The Fence, produced by The Nexus Fund, which also uses a VR approach to communicate personal stories and life in a Rohingya camp in Burma. Instead of Facebook’s top-down approach of outsiders explaining the lives of others, The Nexus Fund worked with individuals inside the camp who were looking for a way to show the world what life was like there and to tell some of the stories of those living there. They chose the medium of a short VR film, with its 360-degree panoramic viewpoint to offer an experience that could immerse viewers far better than a traditional television screen.
As The Nexus Fund’s Executive Director Sally Smith put it when asked how they approached the making of the film, “There is a tremendous difference between entertainment from people suffering and using a novel medium to feel and take action.”
In short, Silicon Valley appears to have once again decided to tell the story of "people far away" without actually inviting them to the table to tell their own stories. The result is disaster tourism, complete with laughter and high fives about the “magical” technology, rather than an exploration of how VR could be used to help generate empathy and understanding for events on the ground.
See the full story here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2017/10/14/virtual-reality-for-empathy-versus-entertainment/#64f7c2096ef2