Caution needed in path to Meta’s virtual reality future

In 2004, a social media platform known as Facebook was founded, revolutionizing social media. Now in 2021, Facebook has rebranded to Meta, hoping to once again revolutionize. The reason for the rebranding to Meta is because Facebook plans to, once again, take the digital world by storm with augmented reality (AR). 

AR enhances the physical world with the digital one stimulating your senses through technology. Think of Tony Stark’s technology. 

While this might seem a long time away, it’s not. It might sound amazing and spectacular, but there are some problems that need to be exposed, the first one being the distraction it could cause. 

Smartphones already are one of the leading causes of car collisions, and adding the ability to view social media, text messages and more with a pair of glasses could increase distracted driving. 

In order to function, AR requires cameras to track and map you and your surroundings,  meaning privacy could also be a concern. Real-time positions, private records and unauthorized surveillance are all things that can be stolen, viewed or done with minimal effort. 

This is only amplified by the fact that Facebook, the predecessor to Meta, is known for its countless security problems, having at least eight security breaches from 2013 to now. 

An interesting problem would be the effects on our perception. AR brings the ability to completely change everything we see from people’s faces to our surroundings. If unchecked, our perceptions of reality could become so distorted to the point where we can’t tell the difference between what’s real or fake, and people could become unaware of dangers surrounding them.

AR is the next step for technology. However, in order for it to be safe, many rules, guidelines and safety procedures need to be instituted. Only then can AR take over the world by storm, with Meta leading the way.