Anne Lu
A visitor tastes food using Tasteworks technology, a Virtual Reality
experience created by Dan Garrett and Alex Kitching of the Royal College
of Art and Imperial College London that augments and stimulates taste,
during a design competition showcase of wearable technology at the
Augmented Human International Conference in Singapore March 10, 2015.
Reuters/Edgar Su
In today’s increasingly mobile landscape where there are
over four billion unique mobile users in the world, it is not surprising
that nearly two thirds or about 65 percent of American adults are
hooked on social networking sites. These sites are mainly attractive for
being packed with various functions, which have also become a means of
entertainment for mobile users.
The convergence of entertainment and social media sites has
evolved into the full entertainment package where news, videos, music
and chat are available in one mobile app. The entertainment industry
taps on social networks because today, people spend more time on social
media than anything else. According to Pew Research data,
74 percent of online adults devote their time to social media than any
other activity. This prompts marketers make their efforts — technologies
and applications — social media friendly or even centric.
Back in the day, online messaging was only possible on Yahoo
or America Online (AOL). These sites allowed the exchange of messages
in real time. However, the increasing mobile engagement led to the
development of mobile apps that offered everything, according to AdWeek.
Big companies are already investing in acquisition of the mobile social
sphere, just like WhatsApp, WeChat and Facebook, which have acquired
video, music and messaging apps.
Technology is taking a step further with its social media functions
with the introduction of virtual reality. Manufacturers of the Oculus
Rift and HoloLens redefined the idea of messaging.
Today, Microsoft’s holoportation
is making its way into the messaging realm where users are able to see,
hear and interact with remote participants also using the Hololens. The
technology behind this futuristic interaction is a series of
high-quality 3D models of people reconstructed, compressed and
transmitted to anywhere in the world.
Another modern VR is the introduction of the Oculus Rift,
which will be the first of the three big headsets coming to the market
aside from HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, the Forbes reported.
The emergence of VR technology is a testament to the power
of these innovations. The nature of technology is a powerful force in
the development of civilisation and extends human’s abilities to change
the world, move things from one place to another and reach farther
through hands, voices and senses, as described by Science for All Americans (SFAA).
Smartphones slowly replaced desktop computers, while fully
automatic home and office appliance evolved to the introduction of the
Internet of Things and now from simple text messaging to engaging in
social media sites. The invention of the Internet also played a huge
role in the revolutionary changes in the mobile landscape. People have
become dependent on connecting to the Internet that the constant need to
be connected led to the development of WiFi routers, signal boosters
and network extenders such as those from 5BARz International emerged.
According to the SFAA, human presence strongly impacts the
direction of technology which is mainly used for survival, easy access
to goods and services, communication, health and services and
entertainment. The same human presence and inventiveness direct
technologies that will be undertaken and paid attention to.
Furthermore, the SFAA reveals that locations decide which
technological options will prevail and what are socially acceptable.
While there are conflicting social theories where technological change
has brought about social change and vice versa, there is only one thing
clear: Technological evolution has become inevitable.
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