Published: 21 November 2024
My first experience with the Apple Vision Pro felt somewhat shamanic. One minute, I was in the living room casually chatting with my older sibling; the next, I was standing on South African soil, watching rhinos roam freely all around me. A few spatial clicks later, I found myself atop a Parisian rooftop, marveling at parkour professionals gracefully leaping from one building to another with breathtaking agility.
Upon removing my high-tech eyewear, I found myself needing a moment to contemplate what I had just experienced. I knew that the giddy joy I was feeling was genuine. As was the fear I felt while suspended in the air. But let’s be real, I have never set foot in South Africa. And I would never in a million years jump atop Parisian rooftops for fun. It was all just a mirage. And yet, the only thing I kept thinking was “I can’t wait to go back.”
As the lines between reality and virtual life slowly start to blur, we can’t deny that we are at the precipice of a technological revolution. The world feels smaller as big tech companies continue to work on groundbreaking devices that completely alter our perception of the world we live in.
As someone with a background in nutrition and food cultures, this got me thinking: “What does this mean for the future of food? How differently can we experience food (and its related activities) with the help of VR?”
There’s no denying that once we fully embrace augmented reality, the ways we cook, eat, shop, and create will be fundamentally transformed. And, to be quite frank, the prospect of this transformation is both exciting and nerve-wracking.
On the one hand, VR technologies promise to significantly enhance everyday convenience and accessibility.
Think about it…
You could cook with much more ease, avoiding the hassle of repeatedly checking your recipe and smudging your phone in the process.
You could browse the aisles of your favorite grocery store without ever leaving the comfort of your home.
You could explore the culinary traditions of distant places in an immersive and engaging way, all with just a pinch of your fingers.
You could even reconnect with a loved-one who has passed away and relive a cherished food memory with them, as if they were still with you.
All these possibilities and more are within reach with VR technology.
On a scholarly level, VR could serve as a precious tool to study eating behaviors and how different environments can impact the way we eat.
On a medical level, VR holds the potential to aid in the treatment of eating disorders and food aversions. It could also provide a more compelling and detailed environment for monitoring nutrition and managing diets.
And at the culinary forefront, collaborations between chefs, VR and robotics could aid in the development of advanced cooking assistants.
Additionally, dining experiences are set to become richer than ever before with the advent of virtual menus and environments that are sure to transform our perception of taste. Imagine enjoying a tasty poke bowl under swaying palm trees on a Hawaiian beach without ever leaving your hometown. This fusion of technology and taste may even bring us closer to realizing the long-awaited dream of “smell-o-vision”!
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
In the food and beverage industry, VR presents exciting opportunities for innovation, enabling more efficient product design as well as improved training.
And, of course, we can’t overlook VR’s impact from a food culture standpoint. This evolving technology offers new ground for fostering connections and relationships between different countries and regions worldwide. This is crucial as it can help strengthen diplomatic bonds, bridge cultural divides through culinary experiences, and contribute to the dismantlement of ongoing issues such as racism and hate speech.
All this sounds real peachy, right? But as the saying goes, “Every medal has two sides”. So what losses should we expect?
In my opinion, one of the most concerning issues is medical. The long-term effects of prolonged exposure to this type of technology on our brains and physical health remain uncertain. Furthermore, many immersive technologies have been criticized for their addictive nature. Internet addiction disorder, or cyberaddiction, is a growing reality in today’s society, and VR will surely exacerbate this issue.
As for mental health, it will surely create a challenging situation for many people, particularly the most vulnerable. VR technologies have the potential of not only distorting our sense of time but also our perception of reality. Add to this the resistance to disconnect, and you can expect higher rates of burnout and a rise in clinical conditions linked to parasocial relationships, along with other issues that arise from a society hyperfocused on appearances.
The issue of safety and security is also deeply unsettling. Future generations will have to contend with a multitude of new cyber challenges, unprecedented in scale and complexity. With VR’s immersive nature, the challenges of online scrutiny, cyberbullying, and the proliferation of harmful content are only going to intensify and become increasingly difficult to manage. These issues can have devastating effects, leaving people vulnerable and dealing with serious psychological trauma. As we dive deeper into the digital age, it is therefore crucial that we tackle these problems head-on to safeguard the well-being of our children.
VR technologies are incredibly promising and brimming with untapped potential. They could potentially serve every aspect of humanity, from tourism and healthcare to accessibility and inclusion. However, we can’t ignore the ethical, social and medical concerns, to name a few, that will most likely come with the rise of VR.
Our use of technology mirrors our state of humanity, revealing what we truly prioritize and value. In today’s world, I often find myself questioning whether safeguarding our morals and health is still our top priority.
History has shown us time and again that every beautiful discovery carries its own dark side. While halting progress isn’t an option, there’s wisdom in navigating cautiously through the minefield. We cannot control how others decide to use this technology, but we can strive to be part of a positive change that harnesses these innovations for the greater good. Let’s hope humanity continues to embrace the values that uplift us all. By doing so, we can turn our attention to crafting a future that we can all cherish together, rather than unraveling the delicate threads of our shared happiness.
