The Future of Social Media and VR, According to Mark Zuckerberg

Touring the two-year mark since Facebook’s groundbreaking $2 billion acquisition of the virtual reality (VR) flagship, Oculus, curious onlookers have been left largely in the lurch regarding the enigmatic role of VR in Facebook’s impending plans. That was, however, until Mark Zuckerberg unveiled his visionary roadmap for VR during his keynote at the Oculus Connect event this week.

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While the virtual sphere was primarily regarded as a haven for reclusive gamers, Zuckerberg showcased a more sociable, connected future punctuated by creating and using one’s own VR avatar. Bridging the gap between reality and the virtual world, Oculus VR headsets could take social interactions to a whole new level – transforming online communication via custom avatar interactions in a well-realized digital environment.

The Implications

In the demonstration video, Zuckerberg and two Facebook staff members can be seen experiencing collaborative activities with their VR avatars, despite being in different physical locations. From watching movies and taking selfies to playing games, Oculus users will be able to share moments seamlessly, even managing mundane tasks such as checking on pets at home in an innovative and engaging way.

This level of integration was showcased via a video call through Facebook Messenger – demonstrating the ease of placing video calls and capturing selfies within the virtual environment.

With a staggering user base of 1.71 billion, and about a billion of them using Facebook Messenger, this development could herald an unprecedented mode of online connection that alters the very DNA of social media interaction. While VR is not solely owned by Facebook, its use in enhancing social media connectivity falls well within the company’s strategic scope.

Zuckerberg’s vision of the future suggests that we should gear up for a VR-centric Facebook world. Drawing attention to the concept of live streaming in virtual reality, utilizing Gear VR (Samsung’s VR headset developed using Oculus technology), one could broadcast their gaming exploits directly on their Facebook feeds and observe their friends’ activities in 2D.

He further added that these live-streamed gaming sessions would be as commonplace as regular live video status updates. This bears striking similarity to the live section of YouTube’s gaming site, which debuted in August last year – perhaps a nod to where Facebook is headed in the VR space.

For those eager to step into this immersive digital frontier, Oculus controllers will be available on the market for about $200 starting this December.

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