In many ways, virtual reality (VR) can affect gathering culture in a variety of positive but potentially disruptive ways.
These factors should be taken into account:
Global Connectivity:
The use of virtual reality will revolutionize collaboration among individuals, enabling teams to work together in virtual spaces. It may challenge conventional office norms by reducing the need for physical offices and enabling remote work to occur on a more extensive scale.
Social Interaction:
The use of virtual reality can facilitate the development of new social and event protocols, enabling people to interact more effectively. This may alter the traditional social gathering patterns of people, as many now prefer to meet their loved ones in virtual spaces instead of going out face-to-face.
Entertainment and Events:
Conventions, VR conferences, and other virtual events could cause disruptions in the traditional entertainment and conference sectors. Virtual participation in events may be a factor that influences the culture of attending physical events.
Reduced Physical Presence:
Physical presence may become less relevant as virtual reality becomes more widespread. This could have an effect on the culture of face-to-face interactions and gatherings, where virtual alternatives may be favored for convenience or other purposes.
Cultural Adaptation:
The integration of virtual reality into gatherings could result in a new culture of interaction, with its own set of norms, rituals and social cues. People may need to adjust to this virtual culture, and it could change the way we perceive people and their interactions with others.
Training and Simulation:
Virtual reality is a valuable tool for teams to practice skills in simulated environments, while also providing team members with safe and secure work environments. Particularly advantageous is this in areas where practical training is required.
Ultimately, while virtual reality may bring about changes in gathering culture with technological advancements and social acceptance, the extent of disruption will depend on various trade-off factors.
There are however, various barriers to adoption: costs of hardware, potential technical problems, and the need for a common platform.
In addition, augmented and virtual reality do not work equally well in certain types of meetings, as some conversations may still be more productive using traditional methods.