Simulation vs. Reality: A Dispatch From the Frontline

I have not yet tried the new Apple Vision Pro, nor do I have an extra $3,500 laying around to acquire one. But I have been an enthusiastic participant in many Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality experiences over the years. I've travelled deep into space; stood face-to-face with a buffalo; participated in a choose-your-own adventure murder mystery; and explored countless other games, movies, and apps.

And yet, while I’ve enjoyed most of these visits to VR and AR worlds, I always re-emerge with the same thought: I already spend so much of my time immersed in screens, do I really want to separate myself further from reality?

As a proud Gen X’er, I love exploring new technologies. But as companies push for us to spend ever more time on screens, or behind a pair of goggles, to live more productive and fun-filled lives, I can’t help but feel like we’re also being pushed into the shadows a little bit, away from the warmth of real life. Away from real encounters with people: friends, family, strangers. Away from real emotions, real learning, real engagement, and real empathy. A digital representation of our lives and the people within them, no matter how good, is simply a poor substitute for the real thing.

And the thing is, there’s already more than enough evidence to show that a full embrace of technology to the exclusion of more intimate, real-life experiences, is detrimental. We know, for instance, that virtual learning, while incredibly valuable as an add-on, is a total failure as a replacement for the in-person experiences a child needs to develop. (The data on attendance, test scores, and dropout rates is undeniable.) Likewise, many of us could likely share firsthand how our relationships with friends has been altered dramatically by social media. (How often do we pick up and call someone we haven’t spoken to in forever these days. How many voices have been “lost” in our lives, replaced by generic posts or group texts.) And of course, we all know the obsessions with our phones distracts us and frequently takes us out of the moment. It’s often a constant battle to stay engaged and present amidst all the distractions of our technology.

So, while I believe passionately that change and innovation are critically important and a net positive… I cannot yet see how VR/AR goggles will truly make our lives better. As they improve, they might make us more productive. They will certainly break new ground in ways to entertain us. And they may well lead us to abandon computers and phones, opting instead to spend our time working and playing with goggles on our heads.

But along this march of progress, I worry that we’ll simply be embracing an illusion of connectivity, and end up more alone and distant from one another than ever before.

In line with all this… I think this review of the 苹果 Vision Pro by Ian Bogost in The Atlantic is worth reading:

The Apple Vision Pro Is Spectacular and Sad: A dispatch from the gypsum dunes of cyberspace

“We live in cars and on couches and, separately, we also live on phones. Apple believes it can resolve this conflict—that the digital and material worlds can be merged together—but it has only put the conflict into higher resolution. A headset is a pair of spectacles, but a headset is also a blindfold.”

Beyond a simple review, his piece suggests (to me, at least) a concept we don’t often consider: that our immersive technologies may not be fully compatible with a rich and full life away from screens.

So, count me in for occasional immersive experiences, as someone interested to see how the tech improves... but one who is wholly uninterested in separating myself even further from real life.