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In The Forgotten Kaleidoscope Craze in Victorian England, Jason Farman talks about what people saw as the detraction of being distracted, which is a very funny phrase. People saw the dangers of a society in which people “Were easily bored, fascinated by illusions, and distracted from social interactions in the public sphere.” (Farman).
But what about a case in which technologically-enabled distraction is beneficial to the user? I immediately thought of applications of VR headsets, where virtual reality is used to relieve the user of stress or worry.
In SFO (SF’s airport) I’ve seen the deployment of VR headsets for users who have a fear of flying. From what I’ve seen, it’s particularly helpful during takeoff and landing. Users are able to put on their VR headset and sound canceling headphones and be transported to a beach or a quiet field somewhere. It’s interesting to think that the airlines also stand to benefit as probably considering how to eventually deploy VR headsets as in-flight entertainment devices.
Another interesting application of VR distractions being used for good is in chemotherapy programs. A couple of months ago I read an article about a company in Australia, Start VR, who is using VR experiences to help chemo patients come with their treatment. Patients are also able to virtually fulfill dreams such as traveling to the Great Wall of China or NYC as they come to terms with the terminal disease.
I think Start’s Head of Content put it best in a recent Huffpo article, saying “Exploring the application of VR in healthcare highlights an exciting pathway for this burgeoning medium and we are proud to leverage what we are learning to continually push boundaries in VR content creation.” Virtual reality has an insane range of potential use cases and should be seen by all for its benefits, not just as merely a distraction.
Sources:
http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-gear-vr-airplane-2016-4
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/03/06/escaping-the-experience-of-chemotherapy-through-virtual-reality_a_21874673/