Virtual Reality is the Cure to the Ignorance Phenomenon

It seems as if technology's role in connecting strangers around the globe continues to grow exponentially with each passing moment. Technology has its downfalls, that argument is valid. But at the same time, without it we would remain all too ignorant to the world occurring around us.

A notable technique used in the book Exit West is the switch from one part of the world to the next, then transitioning back without a beat. The best example is the Italian woman walking towards the riot at the zoo regarding immigrants, and then the point of view switching back to Saeed and Nadia, who are reading about the riot while in Mykonos (109-111). These constant shifts remind the reader that the world extends so much farther than where they live, at times it almost feels infinite.

This is the response the VR experience evoked in me. It's one thing to read about the Global Migration Crisis in the news, or to see pictures in the media. It felt like another thing entirely to get as up close and personal to it as I could. Being on boats, in schools, in the remains of cities, right alongside the children it affects the most (such as in the video "The Displaced") is an experience every non-immigrant should strive to have. No one should even speak on the issue of immigration unless they are able to understand the situation to the best of their ability. It's like telling a blind person to simply open their eyes and see.

A characteristic most lack is to attain as high a level of sympathy as possible before forming a strong opinion. Our bubble of life needs to be popped sooner rather than later. I believe something like the VR simulations could greatly change this phenomenon of ignorance.