What are the potential risks of virtual reality?

Virtual reality (VR) is no longer a preview of the future but a glimpse of today’s reality. We’ve all seen the impact of virtual reality on our world. Needless to say, it’s now possible to change our imagination into reality. However, like other technologies, VR has its cons. We cannot ignore the risks that VR poses to us. These include social issues, addiction, delusions, health, and privacy concerns.

Social issues

“If I can only be my true self in the virtual world...then what was the point of coming back to reality after all?” — Reki Kawahara

The quote speaks volumes about the impact of VR on our social lives. We can create virtual worlds, make our own lives, find jobs, friends, and experience adventures using virtual and augmented reality. If such a thing is possible, why would anyone even venture out?

The convenience and elation caused by virtual reality are incomparable. It’s easy to get lost in a world of one’s creation and lose sight of what matters. That’s why virtual reality is such a danger to our social lives. However tempting the imaginary world might seem, it cannot replace the real world.

Addiction and a distorted sense of reality

It’s always easy to get addicted to things that provide an escape from reality. VR is mostly used as a form of entertainment, and long-term exposure to it can lead to its addiction. There are a few symptoms that help identify addictive behavior, including feeling frustrated when we’re unable to use VR, keeping off from doing our obligations, not wanting to spend time with our friends and family, etc. According to a study by the Communication University of China, VR Gaming is 44% more addictive than PC gaming. It is crucial to maintain a balance between virtual and real life.

The wide variety of landscapes and worlds that VR offers has the potential to distort users' sense of reality. Our brain might, for instance, convince us that we will fall off a high place even if we are in the safety of our home. We may feel excited, anxious, or scared in extreme situations.

Health problems

VR poses many health risks and concerns, including getting hurt by one’s surroundings, optical issues, and motion sickness. It’s quite common for users to get hurt by their neighboring objects. When we’re immersed in a video game, for example, and moving around, we can stumble into objects, hurt ourselves or even break a limb. It is advised to have someone by the side when using VR.

Using VR for a long time can cause eye issues. Long-term exposure to screens can cause the eye to lengthen, which may cause myopia. VR also causes motion sickness, nausea, and headaches when used for a prolonged period. While using VR, our brain does not realize the difference between what’s real and what’s not. Our brains are tricked into believing something is true when it’s not. There is no certainty where this could lead to.

Privacy concerns

VR collects far more user data than any other conventional technology. For example, VR headsets with a live mic can listen to all conversations. Similarly, eye-tracking technology can record what a person is looking at. It also gathers biometric information, which is almost like getting a person’s identity. To minimize the unauthorized access, the data should be cleaned.

In a nutshell, VR poses many threats to its users’ physical and emotional health, alongside raising privacy issues. Technology is like a double-edged sword. If we use it correctly, we can do many things with it, but if we use it carelessly, it may have a disastrous effect on us. Even though there are many dangers to VR, that should not stop us from utilizing its full potential. Always take precautions to minimize the risks and enjoy what the advancement of technology has to offer.