this post was submitted on 31 Jan 2024
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The biggest problem I see from these kind of devices is: you're isolating yourself. For example, it looks very cool that you can see a movie with a similar experience to a theatre, but you're completely isolated using it. I don't see a family, each with one of these devices on, watching a movie on the couch at the same time. It's complicated enough when people have their smartphones out while eating with others...
That doesn't mean that it hasn't its uses, but it's more limited than what the try to sell to you. You're by yourself when you're using this device, even if you can see others.
Yeah that’s crazy isolating yourself. Now excuse me while I go sit at my desktop ignoring everyone else with my headphones in.
Fun fact, over a hundred years ago people used to complain about others reading the newspaper at breakfast because it was destroying family’s time together. I don’t know how family social dynamics will survive this newspaper craze.
I’m not claiming that this is the end of western civilization or anything like that. What I mean is: the ads sell it like “you will be able to interact with those around you without problems”, and I think that’s not entirely true.
I’m not judging people wanting to isolate themselves, but in my opinion taking this thing off or putting it on is not as easy as putting your smartphone aside, or a newspaper aside.
My thinking is that this will be way more an individual experience than Apple sells. So people should take that into consideration.
Other people can see what you’re doing, and you can see them just by turning your head.
If newspapers glued themselves to your face you might have a point.
And you can take off a visor.
Have you never been so engrossed in an activity that you've tuned out the world around you, only to be shocked when someone taps you on the shoulder to get your attention? These complaints are as worn out as Aristotle moaning about the youths.
Which is a lot more complicated than turning your head. And it covers your entire field of vision. And people still can’t see what you’re doing.
More complicated please, it's a lifting motion, hardly anything special and no different to removing headphones from ones ears.
And why do people need to see what I'm doing? If I'm on my phone, do they need to be able to read my screen as well? Is it not enough to see that I'm on my phone.
God VR fanboys are annoying. “There is absolutely nothing isolating about putting on goggles that completely blind you to the world.”
They had to put creepy eyes on the outside and invent super low latency video pass through for fun I guess.
I don’t own or have any inclinations towards getting a VR headset.
Im an isolation fanboy thank you very much.
I see nothing wrong with people being able to tune out and enjoy whatever they want without others demands for their attention.
Reasonable. Sometimes I want to use a computer that way, too.
It isn’t any more isolating than reading a newspaper. You can take both off in a second.
Or do you mean putting it away?
I wouldn't know, I'm not old enough to have ever read a newspaper. I do know that compared to every other display I've used, putting goggles over my face is much more isolating.
But that pales to the other isolating problem, which is that there's no way to easily watch something with someone. With my phone we just... both look at the phone. With VR we need to get them another VR headset, and an account, then install an app and then, finally, I can show my mom a three second cat video.
I guess you could possibly AirPlay it to a TV?
Yes and no. I’ve used a Quest to watch movies in a theater with different people from around the world and it was a very social experience. I’ve also attended a few support group meetings for dealing with loss in VR and that was honestly a really positive experience.
That’s interesting. It’s a bit funny that new technology can take us closer to those far, and at the same time take us far from those close. :P
Agreed on that, it's a weird dichotomy. I think in a way the internet as a whole has had that effect on people.
Connections in real life don't feel a deep as I remember them being in the past and its so often you see a group of people out to dinner or drinks together staring at their phones. Meanwhile I have a lot of pretty decent connections online with people I've never met in person or maybe only once or twice.
That’s an interesting perspective because I often feel the opposite. Especially post pandemic, I’ve gotten really into going out to bars and just talking to people. I barely even use my phone and sometimes will put it on do not disturb (unless wife calls) even while talking to people I barely know. They’re interesting folks.
But also I do have friends I made on the internet and have been greatly changed by internet interactions. Hell even my ideology was as I grew up on XKCD. But I’ve isolated myself to nothing but the internet before. Once with depression and fear as a queer teenager, and once with depression and fear as a person living through a global pandemic (thank fuck I had my wife for that), and I need quite a bit of face to face communication too or my brain loses its shit. And I need real irl community.
Based on the amount of screen time zoomers are reporting (saw some article about it recently and it was insane), I think there's a boatload of people who are glued to devices and not being present.
I'm a good bit older than that and I've definitely been making an effort to get off my phone. I took all the social apps off about 3-4 months ago and it's been a big improvement. Gonna keep finding ways to unplug. I need to stop posting here during the day so much honestly. I'd probably get a lot more work done.
Yeah I definitely do spend a lot of time on the phone it’s just I also need irl people time.