Electronic Empathy | Virtual Futures Salon

Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) promises to put the viewer in someone else’s body or mind. As an ‘embodiment system’ IVR might be said to be the only alternative method of communication that has the potential to effectively generate new levels of empathy.

Virtual Reality (VR) has a long history of use for medical and therapeutic purposes, in experiments in body visualisation, and ‘perspective-taking.’ Now the increasing affordability of consumer VR headsets means that there is an opportunity to experiment en-masse with experiences that take individuals into new subjective realities.

The scientific legitimacy of these projects is largely driven by the discovery of mirror neurons in the human brain which might be key to understanding how effective empathy-simulating technologies really are. In addition, studies on how individuals interact within an immersive virtual reality often reveal realistic responses to virtual situations. The two key phenomena that allow for this are: the feeling of ‘being there’ or ‘place Illusion’ (PI) and plausibility illusion (Psi) – the illusion that the scenario being depicted is actually occurring. These subjective illusions suggest IVR might be highly effective in therapy and for the treatment of trauma. But it leaves a question mark over whether IVR might also be inversely effective in inflicting pain or even false memory.

How realistic are an individual’s responses to IVR? What is the current evidence and data to support the use of IVR in clinical settings? How can IVR aid our understanding of mental health? How credible are IVR scenarios when compared to the viewer’s expectations?

== PANELISTS ==

Christian Cherene, BeAnother Lab/ A Machine to be Another

Jane Gauntlett, In My Shoes Project

Dr. Julia Shaw, Senior Lecturer, Department of Law and Social Sciences, London South Bank University

Dr. Sylvia Xueni Pan, Goldsmiths University

Luke Robert Mason, Director of Virtual Futures (Moderator)

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== More Information ==

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