Virtual Reality, The Empathy Machine

[MachineGhost]

[quote=http://techcrunch.com/2015/02/01/what-it-feels-like/]Most VR demos end with an attendant cheerily asking “How was it?!”? I was thankful that the woman who took the Oculus Rift headset back from me said nothing. I avoided eye-contact. Left in the exhibition room modeled after The Party, complete with keg and sagging couch, I slinked out silently. These behaviors mirror those of true shame. I wanted to crawl somewhere dark and disappear. Once I began to digest the emotions, though, I wanted to mobilize against campus sexual assault.

The empathy machine works.

“Making people bear witness is effective”? says de la Peña.”? To make VR journalism even more so, both Milk and de la Peña said 360-degree cameras need to get sharper, cheaper, and more portable. Paired with proper calls to action, simulated scenes could have a real impact on the real world. VR won’t replace being there, but it can scale experiences to a much wider audience.

Milk concludes “We’re starting to move out of the technical ‘wow’ phase of this and into ‘what does this mean for humanity?’”?[/quote]

[Lowe]

The author outlines a series of dumb publicity stunts for several pet issues of the American left.

[Lowe]

I suppose, the way you can tell it is propaganda is that it is intended to reinforce submission to an idea, for those who have already submitted to that idea.  It isn't intended to convince, but just to repeat.

An actual sexual predator is not going to be visiting some exhibition where he can experience a simulation of the events leading to a sexual assault.  The only people who could be there are people who already consider sexual assault immoral, and are determined not to do it.

So the real message is not Don't do this, in case you forgot Right and Wrong 101.  It's You could do this.  You are a potential rapist.  This is your fault, and don't forget it.

Likewise nobody with responsibility for the civil problems in Syria is going to be watching these immersive videos, nor anybody with any responsibility for Eric Garner's death.

[Pointedstick]

As I was reading the article, I was struck by how frustrating and jarring it would be to be forced to watch as my own character did awful things I would never do in real life, as though trapped in my own body as some alien controlled it. I feel like that would probably provoke irritation at the scenario's designers, not empathy.

I suppose, the way you can tell it is propaganda is that it is intended to reinforce submission to an idea, for those who have already submitted to that idea.  It isn't intended to convince, but just to repeat.

An actual sexual predator is not going to be visiting some exhibition where he can experience a simulation of the events leading to a sexual assault.  The only people who could be there are people who already consider sexual assault immoral, and are determined not to do it.

So the real message is not Don't do this, in case you forgot Right and Wrong 101.  It's You could do this.  You are a potential rapist.  This is your fault, and don't forget it.

Likewise nobody with responsibility for the civil problems in Syria is going to be watching these immersive videos, nor anybody with any responsibility for Eric Garner's death.

+100. Typical guilt-tripping leftist nonsense. "YOU could secretly be a bad person! Repent now and confess to the likelihood of your having impure thoughts!"

Furthermore, if a rapey type of person was made to experience this, say, as part of a mandatory college orientation, he would probably be titillated, not shocked and shamed.

[Libertarian666]

I expect the underlying technology is going to have other uses that will be more to my liking. 

[Mountaineer]

+100. Typical guilt-tripping leftist nonsense. "YOU could secretly be a bad person! Repent now and confess to the likelihood of your having impure thoughts!"

Reminds me of a "multi-cultural" workshop I attended about 15 or more years ago.  Taught by those with darker skin.  Anyone in the class with whiter skin was made to feel like worthless scum who needed to repent of all the sins committed by their long dead ancestors.  Basically, the course made the whiter skins even more entrenched in their biased ways - exactly opposite the intent of the do-gooders who organized the workshop - and made the barriers that needed to be overcome even taller.

... Mountaineer