Is Virtual Enough?
Before we went to Orkney, the Wolvog “took” me to Orkney via his VR headset and plopped me down at the port where we would be landing. I wanted to see what the roads looked like and figure out the layout of the island.
When we reached the very real Orkney Islands, we landed in Stromness without a plan. We had zero clue how we were going to get around, but we were directed to go to the library where there was a makeshift tourism office. When we stepped outside, I immediately knew where to walk. It looked exactly as it had in the headset, and I could point in one direction and say, “There’s a restaurant around the corner,” and then run a few feet away and peek around the corner to see the restaurant from the VR headset, waiting for me.
It was surreal.
I’ve thought about that experience while we enjoyed the “beach.” Was I there? No. Did I feel like I was there? Sort of. I’ve revisited places I’ve been before via pictures or movies and been able to connect to the place via memories, but this was a situation where I connected to the place via virtual reality BEFORE arriving. Whether or not I ever arrived was actually beside the point. I had a sense of the space, albeit a flat understanding stripped of the smells and people and food and sounds that greeted me once I was off the boat. The same was maybe true for the beach we chose on YouTube.
Eater had an article about whether virtual experiences were “enough” in the age of pandemic. If we can’t travel, is setting up armchair travel experiences good enough? Can it satisfy the itch, especially if we cook some food from the area and try to recreate the atmosphere as much as possible?
The author reached the conclusion that it’s not quite enough, even though sometimes it’s interesting. The jury is still out on my end. Maybe it’s enough right now to be trying to solve the problem, even if we sort of know that there isn’t a real solution to arrive at in the end.
4 comments
I think of it as good enough for now, mostly because I know there isn’t an alternative. Same with my kids having virtual play dates. No, it’s not enough or the same. But it’s the best we can do so we can’t dwell on what it isn’t, only try to enjoy what it is. That’s a hard reality, though.
The travel thing is still going to be an issue post-COVID because if we are going to be serious about climate change it will require everyone to recognize that the age of flying wherever you want to go is over. People will have to adjust their expectations to a smaller world and a shorter bucket list, because how we lived before wasn’t sustainable. So virtual visits will (hopefully) become the way that most people see most places on earth.
I like the idea of a sort of elaborate make-believe to scratch that itch. It won’t be the same, but to make it a multisensory experience sounds fun. I’m still sad we aren’t going to Scotland, but while researching I watched a whole bunch of videos and maybe we could do that and eat some fish. And I could order some stuffed puffins and place then all over my grassy back hill. Interesting idea!
I’m on one of my virtual safaris right now, ie, the live stream is running on my phone, whilst I type this on my laptop. Is it the same? No. Not at all. There’s no feeling of risk. I can’t smell the animals or feel the cold morning wind. And I don’t to stand in the African bush and have a hot chocolate in the morning, or a gin and tonic as the sun goes down. Sigh. But I know it’s about as realistic as possible. Does it scratch an itch? Yes, mostly. But it’s better than no safari at all! And I guess that’s the thing. As you say, I “sort of” feel I’ve been there.
I do think after this I might rethink where I want to go and why, though. But then, I was leaning towards doing that anyway.