Introduction
The scope of information that a person can gain from his or her own life experience has always been limited by the lack of time and opportunities. Moreover, empirical experience cannot provide a person with knowledge of all aspects that are interesting or necessary. Therefore, alternative ways of learning and gaining knowledge about the world have played an important role in shaping human perception. For example, to the present day, stories and fairytales are used to teach children, while adults acquire additional information from art, literature, and other media. With the development of technologies, other forms of virtual storytelling and expanding perception became available. Hence, the essay explores the potential of virtual and augmented reality in exploring human perception and expanding the understanding of reality.
Main body
Stories are a great way to teach both children and adults. They provide examples of a real-world situation, which was not yet experienced by the listener or a reader, so they can make conclusions from somebody else’s experience. This type of knowledge acquisition can be described as theoretical. In theoretical knowledge, people are able to gain experience of things outside of their usual perception. One of the factors that make stories attractive is the fact of emotional immersiveness, which in turn can lead to bias. Besides that, theoretical knowledge is not always as effective as practical one due to the lack of the agent’s personal connection to the information gained from it.
However, with the development of augmented and virtual reality technologies, theoretical knowledge gained an additional property, where a person is able to have an artificial practical experience. “Virtual objects offer a methodology for shifting perception and evoking a sense of otherworldliness that allows us to cognize our perceptions, their shifts and affectations” (Dolinsky 295). Hence, through the use of such technologies, the limitations associated with theoretical knowledge are tackled. People are able to have the immersive experience of the story combined with the empirical aspects of augmented reality. There are multiple examples of how these technologies can be utilized.
Augmented reality (AR) is the real-time utilization of data as audio, graphics, text, and other virtual augmentations coordinated with real-world articles. It is this “real world” component that departs AR from virtual reality (n. a.). AR incorporates and increases the value of the person’s interaction with such reality over a simulation. Virtual reality (VR) offers a computer-generated 3D condition that encompasses a customer and reacts to that person’s activities in a natural approach, for the most part, through vivid head-mounted shows and head tracking. Room-based frameworks give 3D exposure to different segments, but they are constrained in their interaction abilities.
Storytelling has been an important tool in various works of art. Hence, augmented reality technologies expanded the potential of the art itself as it imposes new challenges to both artists and users. Dolinsky has described the shift of the perspective associated with the use of such technologies in the chapter. She identifies the enhanced exploration feature, as well as emotional and psychological immersiveness, being the key factors that provoke the shift in the perception of the artwork (Dolinsky 300). The example of the augmented reality Lenin figure in the Ukrainian People’s Park as a part of the arHEART project shows the way art may affect people in a different way.
Besides that, augmented reality can be utilized in a different form of art, such as graffiti. Street art has been integrated into urban design, and the chapter by Gwilt (189) explored the way the concept of AR graffiti enables people to experience an augmented view of the urban environment. One of the negative aspects of graffiti itself is associated with its legality, as street artists often vandalize private or public property. This issue can be tackled with the digital version of graffiti. While being present virtually, AR graffiti is still able to convey the social and cultural message that it providing viewers with an alternative experience.
Finally, there is an example of augmented reality involved in the activism and gaming industry. The article by Engel (353) investigates the case of the prototype Go Queer game, which functions like a mobile app. It provides players with an opportunity to dive into the history of queer culture in the city of Edmonton, Canada. This app gives users an immersive tour of the city, hence, connecting the past with the present, making the history of queer culture more relevant to viewers.
VR and AR are being utilized heavily in developing distinct digital experiences for e-commerce stores. The new experimental era within the fashion industry is taking control over the market with creative augmented encounters that build moment extravagance for the consumers, similar to spring-up stores utilizing AR or VR catalogs. These advancements all fall under the umbrella of fashion merchandising in the fashion industry. Moreover, AR is likewise being utilized for in-store purchasing, enabling the customers to get to inventories and aired data to see the Product and stocks. Customers’ elements have moved in the fashion business, the means getting more predominant than the old observant ones. With the development of new digital platforms and technological advancements, customers are searching for more – be it an exciting purchase experience or more client association, or increasingly augmented items.
Both positivist and interpretive opinions are significant concepts of sociology that play a vital function in the research study. The study of sociology can be traced back to the 19th century and is attributed to Auguste Comte, who was a French philosopher. Positivism and interpretive opinions, therefore, enable researchers to appreciate, observe and analyze human behavior and its impact on human socialization. The approach of positivism mainly focuses on determining the validity of learning through the use of empirical pieces of evidence. The primary objective of positivism is to acquire in-depth knowledge concerning social institutions through the use of facts. Interpretive philosophy, on the other hand, emphasizes the rigid adherence to both events and observation in describing social institutions within the community context.
Conclusion
In conclusion, augmented reality technologies allow people to tackle the limitations of theoretical knowledge, which are associated with the lack of connection to the real world. Various industries can benefit from creating an immersive experience where virtual objects are integrated into the real world. As such, augmented reality can shift the perceptions of the viewer of works of art such as graffiti or street installations. It is also broadly utilized in the e-commerce and fashion industry and provides an enhanced experience of tours and guides, such as in the example of the Go Queer game. Therefore, augmented reality is able to enhance the perception and understanding of the real world.
Works Cited
Dolinsky, Margaret. “Shifting Perceptions – Shifting Realities.” Augmented Reality Art Ed. Geroimenko, Vladimir, Plymouth: Springer, 2014.
Engel, Maureen. “Perverting Play: Theorizing a Queer Game Mechanic.” Television & New Media, vol. 18 no. 4, 2017, pp. 351-360.
n. a., 2019. Augmented Reality (AR). Gartner [Online] Web.
Gwilt, Ian. “Augmented Reality Graffiti and Street Art” Augmented Reality Art Ed. Geroimenko, Vladimir, Plymouth: Springer, 2014.