The Importance of Social Technologies

The surge in COVID-19 infection rates across mainland Europe this autumn predictably saw the UK and its devolved powers employ a range of strategies to help subdue the second wave of the virus. The return to national lockdown in England provoked more frustration and apprehension across the country as we were told to limit our working hours and social contact once more.

I understood these feeling all too well at the time, having been made redundant towards the end of an extended furlough stint during the first lockdown. I was keen to find a silver lining in the situation, take a break, and use my free time to focus on more meaningful projects that took stock in people and the planet, in place of the blind capitalism that had done so much damage in 2020 alone.

Over the summer, DesignSpark announced the connect the community challenge with the aim of using technology to support vulnerable individuals with their exposure to isolation. This proposal gave me the unique opportunity to think about how engineering can easily be used for altruistic purposes and I have been busy exploring different methods in making this a reality ever since.

My investigation focused on the susceptibility of individuals to isolation and loneliness throughout the pandemic and finding a remedy to this well-documented problem through the use of emerging technology, this time with specific attention to the social applications of virtual reality.

Reality Check

Immersive entertainment has certainly come a long way since the early days of struggling with your Nintendo Wii Remote on boxing day morning. The rapid development of MEMS sensors and imaging technologies has helped facilitate the continued success of platforms like the Switch but it has taken the ingenuity of tech companies like Oculus, HTC and Valve to develop the virtual reality ecosystem.

The Oculus Quest 2 Headset

The latest and most cost-effective VR headset on the market currently is the Oculus Quest 2 and is what I will be basing my observations on for this article. Oculus was the original VR tech company that was acquired by Facebook in 2014 and overlooking any obvious data-privacy concerns, I was very keen to explore the broader potential for this platform.

Johnny 5 showing me the ropes.

There is actually much more to explore in VR beyond the obligatory selection of games, with a broader spectrum of content including videos, animations, comics and a number of experimental apps that combine the latest tracking, optics and audio to facilitate a convincing sense of immersion. Emphasis on the community aspects of the Oculus VR ecosystem is perhaps unsurprising given its connections to social media but does help raise potent questions about the latent potential of VR as a new social platform and the quality of the relationships we can build online compared to current social media.

The Red Pill

The popularity of apps like Zoom has facilitated the need for social-distancing and shielding during the pandemic which has illustrated the potential of emerging technologies in the creation of flexible and holistic social care systems. High-quality multimedia platforms have become more accessible to vulnerable individuals thanks to the growth of high-speed internet which makes it easier to connect with carers and family members. The inevitable expansion of global connectivity will likely influence the format of the relationships we build through technology and the growth of 5G and IoT networks will provide a strong foundation for the way we engage with the broader connected community.

Virtual reality has given a rise to new types of interactive media and the presence of “social apps” are becoming more commonplace on the platform. Social apps emphasise verbal communication, physical interaction and constructive collaboration which gives a more visceral sense of community and provides a refreshing alternative to the polarising hyperbole of traditional social media.

There are many social apps on the Oculus platform.

Social technologies like VR present an opportunity to challenge conventions within traditional digital formats and steer the development of more immersive and progressive forms of communication as they grow more in the mainstream. Curating an inclusive and positively nuanced culture is important to address the failings of current social platforms and a task that should address the responsibility of key influences such as administrators, governments and even educational institutions in negating its negative effects on the susceptibility of many individuals to alienation, isolation and loneliness.

Mental health has been a recurring theme during the world health crisis which has helped underline the many diseconomies in the current state of society in addition to the importance of communities in support of the most vulnerable. Encouraging healthy online and offline communities is therefore critical in the creation of a holistic support structure and we should consider how connectivity and emerging technologies like VR can help implement and encourage healthy communities as part of a wider support network beyond the traditional social care infrastructure.