e137. Think Virtually, Live Locally! Our New Virtual Reality

Ever since the beginning of the COVID-19 global pandemic, people the world over have been forced to spend more time meeting and communicating virtually. As different communities have implemented differing levels of lockdowns, quarantine restrictions, and work from home protocols, and distance learning, life has increasingly taken place over Zoom. Socializing over FaceTime is the new normal. Other technologies have seen increased used to fill the gaps in our socially distant lives. We are living in a virtual reality. But we’re living in a lame one… it’s nothing like the The Matrix, Ready Player One, Nerormancer, Snow Crash or ShadowRun. But could it be? On today’s show, Katya and Mav talk with Caitlyn Meeks, CEO of Tivoli Cloud VR, to talk about the current state of immersive virtual reality, how it can be used in business, education and socialization, and the cultural ramifications of adopting it. What does a future where communication is primarily done through virtual avatars look like and can we look to massive technology shifts of the past to help us? Listen to the episode and give us your thoughts in the comments below. Citations and Links: * This episode’s Call for Comments* e113. Cartoons vs. Avatars* Mixed Realism: Videogames and the Violence of Fiction by Timothy J. Walsh * Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme* Learn about Tivoli Cloud VR* Follow Caitlyn on Twitter: @CaitlynXx_* Follow Mav on Twitter: @chrismaverick* Follow Katya on Instagram: @justthatnerdkid* Follow Mav’s Personal Blog: http://chrismaverick.com* Follow us on Twitter: @voxpopcast* Follow us on Instagram: @voxpopcast* Follow us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/voxpopcast* Please Subscribe to our new YouTube channel!* Make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever podcasts are found and please leave us a review! Listen on YouTube!  

Om Podcasten

Vox Populorum is a blog and podcast devoted to pop culture criticism. We believe that the best way to understand culture is to discuss it. But we also believe that it's a lot more fun to have these conversations throwing back a couple beers at the bar rather than in a classroom. Please join our weekly round table of media critics, academics, creators, artists, professors, students and fans for an engaging discussion about movies, novels, comic books, television, video games, music or whatever else we happen to think of! Nec audiendi qui solent dicere, Vox populi, vox Dei, quum tumultuositas vulgi semper insaniae proxima sit.