Virtual Reality: New Possibilities from a New World?

With the introduction of the affordable microprocessor in the late 20th century, personal computers or PCs revolutionized the way we interact with information and each other. It paved the way for mass globalization of the late 20th and early 21st century, as well as introduce a plethora of new technologies for us to experience. One such technology is Virtual Reality. Thanks to the efforts of companies such as HTC and Oculus, a new world is being created - one that we can freely enter from the comfort of our own homes. Applications of the format are already being discussed and researched in fields of education, medicine, psychology and robotics. My goal will be to examine the possibilities and advancements of various fields that virtual reality will enable or at the very least assist in. My research will seek the positive benefits to society the technology will bring. I also want to compare the medium against negative impacts - such as privacy - and weigh the two to determine if the format will provide a net social benefit or a negative social cost. Because the technology is still in its infancy, I hope this research will analyze elementary trends and provide an insight to the discoveries and potential threats of this new and exciting world.