VR and Empathy

In his 2015 TED Talk, “How virtual reality can create the ultimate empathy machine,” Chris Milk suggests that VR can be used to greatly enhance empathy among its viewers. Using his own experience as a music video director, VR artist, and filmmaker, he notes how his development into VR creator coincided with greater involvement and emotion from his audience. He then uses Clouds Over Sidra, a VR experience centered on the everyday life of a young Syrian refugee, as an example – and after watching it myself I do agree that it is very emotional. The scene where Sidra is crying, for instance, was especially heartbreaking. However, I also feel like this isn’t exclusive to VR. Rather, it depends on a reader, listener, and/or viewer’s ability to insert themselves into a piece. For example, I’ve felt strong emotions when watching a film or reading a book, and I’m sure other people have as well. So rather than providing a definitive answer, I think that the argument for VR and empathy further complicates the question of empathy and media in general. Are empathetic people attracted to certain kinds of media, or do certain kinds of media create empathy? If so, which ones and why? Are different kinds of media more suited to different genres, and can this have an impact on empathy? The questions are never-ending, but so interesting too! 

About Mother/Home/Heaven by Caitlin Fisher and Tony Vieira: Hyperrhiz: New Media Cultures | ISSN 1555-9351

Mother/Home/Heaven ELMCIP and video: Mother/Home/Heaven | ELMCIP

Mother/Home/Heaven by Caitlin Fisher and Tony Vieira is an AR experience based in a Markham, Ontario general store. Participants use an iPad and point the camera at different displayed objects, which allows them to view various kinds of audio and visual messages from people who lived between the 1820s and 1920s in the pioneer town. Watching the video of the exhibit was a very interesting experience for me – something haunting, I would say. Since you are essentially viewing the past by examining an object, Mother/Home/Heaven gives its audience the sensation of stepping into the past, of discovering ghosts. It’s very compelling, especially because the messages aren’t always clear. They invite interpretation, offering an opportunity for viewers to interact with the piece. I remember in the video someone panned over a closed music box, and as they did so music began to play and you could hear a baby crying. The cries then gradually changed into those of a woman. I found myself wondering if this was meant to be the spirit of a deceased infant, and if they were remembering how their mother grieved for them. It was very sad, but I also think this is a good demonstration of how empathy can be achieved in AR. 

Comments

  1. Dr. MApril 11, 2023 at 7:13 AM

    Caitlin Fisher is AMAZING! I've written often about her AR work, Circle, which does similar things but allows the "reader" to touch the objects, revealing parts of the story.

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