A Narrow Reality

In the book Exit West, Mohsin Hamid writes about the refugee crisis. Having never been to the Middle East, or even out of the country for that matter, I was instantly curious about the environment depicted in the book. When Mr. Heidkamp told the class we would be using virtual reality machines, I was immediately intrigued. VR seemed like a perfect opportunity to try out a new piece of technology and get a better picture of the setting of Exit West. However, when it came time to actually watch the videos in the Makerspace, there was a lens that could not be ignored. 

Primarily, something felt inherently wrong about sitting in that space, surrounded by copious amounts of expensive technology, watching videos about refugees. As I heard students in the background giggling and playing with the chairs, I struggled to focus on what I was really watching. I felt guilty watching videos on a topic of such intensity without giving it my full attention. As much as I was supposed to be suspended in VR, I spent most of the time trying to figure out how to close out the noise around me. 

If the problems of noise and technological struggles are eliminated, I am still not sure if virtual reality would successfully fill in the holes of an education in global setting. Because the virtual reality videos are constructed by a creator, whether that be a doctor, from Doctors Without Borders, or a journalist from The New York Times, the videos contain a specific bias. The individuals behind the videos make a conscious choice of what to include and not include, and while that is true in all forms of media, it is important to recognize this is also true in something trademarked by the word "reality". 

Therefore, I think that VR can be useful to get a general look at what is going on in different places, but should not be depended on as the name "virtual reality" seems to suggest.