11 ms·

Is it just me or is their intro video disturbing? A world where your significant other is next to you but deep in their own virtual world? Hasn't Facebook done

by hw 7y ago

Is it just me or is their intro video disturbing? A world where your significant other is next to you but deep in their own virtual world? Hasn't Facebook done enough to disconnect people from the real world? Given the lengths Facebook has gone through to keep users engaged and addicted to their platform, what's stopping them from doing the same with Horizon?

seppin 7y ago
My first thought was, "what does this cost?" Not per month, what am I giving up if I participate? What personal data of mine will be collected, and for what purpose? Is this information even available? ps. yes that video was creepy FB is awful at marketing.
- stOneskull 7y ago
  They'll probably get us controlling with our mind, then reading it
fsiefken 7y ago
i regularly sit next to my s.o. on the couch, both with a headset. no problem here, it's just like watching television but noe the whole room is transformed and friends can join in so ee can watch star trek together on the 'big screen' or play bridge crew
markdog12 7y ago
It's disturbing to me that there are people who created, ok'd, and released this video, prob thinking, "hey, this is great!"
beebmam 7y ago
Frankly, we are already in our own virtual worlds, with our own thoughts and experiences. We all perceive reality differently and many of us can feel extremely alone even in the presence of those we love. I'm not sure this technology is going to emotionally isolate people even more than we already are.
honzzz 7y ago
Maybe it is just me getting old but when I was watching that part when she was talking about "getting out there, trying new things, making your mark", something really deep in me was screaming NOOOO!, this is not right :-/ I was always into tech but this video makes me want to throw all my devices away, move to some old house in abandoned Spanish village and grow my own tomatoes. And the disturbing part is that I am not even sure why - on its face value it seems great, you get to talk to people from all around the world and that is cool, right? But my intuition tells me that we are not wired for this and if it gains traction, something terrible will come out of this.
- viraptor 7y ago
  > something really deep in me was screaming NOOOO!, this is not right I though the same. I mean there are some things that can easily exist in virtual world, and it may even be enabling for people who can't leave their houses in a literal way (for many different reasons). But as a default? You can likely try new things in person - but the ad made it seem to be a new thing rather than an alternative experience. I guess I'm opposed to that framing.
- DJHenk 7y ago
  > And the disturbing part is that I am not even sure why - on its face value it seems great And that is exactly the reason why it is not the right direction. Think about it. Why would one choose a virtual world over the new one? Because apparently the real world is not good enough. On the surface the virtual looks better, but if you engage in it, I think you will probably find out that it is as boring and hard as the real one. People have lived for centuries without it. In those years there have both been plenty of fulfilled lives and unfulfilled lives. Clearly, the shiny happy virtual world is not a prerequisite for a fulfilled live. Now think about what made those lives fulfilling. Whatever the answer, it can be done in the real world. It probably is also not superficial and also not shiny. So trading the current world for the shiny virtual world is not the ultimate solution to whatever it is that you are looking for. It can be a tool, like the telephone is. But not more.
  - growlist 7y ago
corysama 7y ago
Showing VR users awkwardly ignoring friends who are right next to them does run face-first into a talking point I've heard repeatedly from people who reject VR out of hand. While, I agree with you 100% that it was a poor choice of theme for the video, I've never been impressed with the talking point. It has always been presented to me as if they were arguing that the telephone was an isolating, anti-social device. "Imagine you were hanging out with someone, having a good time. And, out of nowhere they pull this little 'device' out of their pocket and press it against the side of their face. Then they start walking around, looking around at nothing, acting you aren't even there and having a conversation with nobody! What kind of jerk would do that? Not me! Not ever!" You would be a jerk if you suddenly cut off a conversation to call someone else out of the blue. That's why people don't do that! With phones, stepping out to take a call is considered situationally OK. But, that's not (yet) a user story for VR. Instead, the common story is that you have some time to yourself, maybe you'll watch TV or browse the internets. But, instead you go into VR where it is very convenient and easy to hang out and do wacky stuff with random people all over to the world. Hopefully, when VR becomes more common, it will be somewhat less random people and somewhat more friends and family that you'd like to see more often but don't because of physical inconveniences (like being located in a separate cities/countries/continents).
- foolfoolz 7y ago
  who would ever sit next to their partner on the couch in complete silence while you both mindlessly scroll through mediocre content on your phones and once you find something of above average quality you give a smile or nose exhale and then without even looking up continue back to the scroll??
  - toxicFork 7y ago
    Startup idea: time configurable short range signal jammer
- mola 7y ago
  In my opinion it's not the supposedly ignoring friends part. It's the fact that replacing then non virtual world with a virtual one means that you are giving your life entirely to a commercial entity. You basically lose all freedoms humanity achieved for the individual. Because this new space is not public, it's entirely owned. If it would be opt in and an individual choice than I wouldn't care much. But these things, if they are engaging enough will tend to attract a critical mass of people that might make the old non virtual space obselet in many ways. This will effect me weather I like it or not.
sbarzowski 7y ago
It basically looks like an intro to a Black Mirror episode...
post_below 7y ago
At every advance in communications and information exchange there's that "this isn't right" feeling shared by half of the people from generations that didn't grow up with it. Not that I disagree with you. There are going to be all kinds ugly side effects when VR worlds go mainstream (maybe not Facebook's but eventually). Remember the height of MMORPGs when people were dying of dehydration, murdering each other in the real world and other craziness? But putting the future of the human race aside for a sec... this is some of the most tone deaf advertising I've seen in a while. It's almost as if they listed all the major issues that turn people off of VR and then tried to make them selling points. "People will accept anything if we do low hanging Pixaresque jokes!"
pfortuny 7y ago
Yeah, like “you can have a life here, as you don’t in the real world”.
klemola 7y ago
It is a little, but to me mostly because of the apparent time of the day (morning/noon). Me and my SO often immerse in different things while in the same room. Could be as simple as both reading fiction, or I could be playing video games while she watches TV. It's not what we do over breakfast, though! If the video showed couples doing their own thing while it's already dark outside, it would be more natural. VR to me is no more escapist than playing an intense team based FPS online. Not that I am fan of the idea of a Facebook MMO!
- jpindar 7y ago
  Virtual worlds are socially acceptable as long as you are killing people in them.
buboard 7y ago
Smartphones exist
Barrin92 7y ago
what certainly doesn't help is the graphics of the game which looks exactly like something out of a movie 20 years ago when people where making tons of VR dystopia sci-fi flicks
tomp 7y ago
A good relationship is one where you can be close to each other, each doing their own thing, and feel "close" and connected. From that perspective, playing a game (possibly in a virtual world) isn't really that different from reading a book.
majani 7y ago
Let's be honest, virtual world games have always appealed to people who are not doing so well in the real world. From a pure business perspective, that is the problem, and virtual worlds are the convenient solution.
botanrice 7y ago
That video is horrifying
etrautmann 7y ago
Yeah, this almost seems like satire from a dystopian scifi movie. The actual presented ideas were fine but the tone and jokes landed far from where FB marketers presumably intended.
apta 7y ago
Not to mention it's very cringey, as well as the somewhat implicit messaging where "the kitchen is not only for women", see we have a progressive man here who's preparing a meal for his wife.

by hw 7y ago

seppin 7y ago

My first thought was, "what does this cost?" Not per month, what am I giving up if I participate? What personal data of mine will be collected, and for what purpose? Is this information even available? ps. yes that video was creepy FB is awful at marketing.

stOneskull 7y ago
They'll probably get us controlling with our mind, then reading it

fsiefken 7y ago

i regularly sit next to my s.o. on the couch, both with a headset. no problem here, it's just like watching television but noe the whole room is transformed and friends can join in so ee can watch star trek together on the 'big screen' or play bridge crew

markdog12 7y ago

It's disturbing to me that there are people who created, ok'd, and released this video, prob thinking, "hey, this is great!"

beebmam 7y ago

Frankly, we are already in our own virtual worlds, with our own thoughts and experiences. We all perceive reality differently and many of us can feel extremely alone even in the presence of those we love. I'm not sure this technology is going to emotionally isolate people even more than we already are.

honzzz 7y ago

Maybe it is just me getting old but when I was watching that part when she was talking about "getting out there, trying new things, making your mark", something really deep in me was screaming NOOOO!, this is not right :-/ I was always into tech but this video makes me want to throw all my devices away, move to some old house in abandoned Spanish village and grow my own tomatoes. And the disturbing part is that I am not even sure why - on its face value it seems great, you get to talk to people from all around the world and that is cool, right? But my intuition tells me that we are not wired for this and if it gains traction, something terrible will come out of this.

viraptor 7y ago
> something really deep in me was screaming NOOOO!, this is not right I though the same. I mean there are some things that can easily exist in virtual world, and it may even be enabling for people who can't leave their houses in a literal way (for many different reasons). But as a default? You can likely try new things in person - but the ad made it seem to be a new thing rather than an alternative experience. I guess I'm opposed to that framing.
DJHenk 7y ago
> And the disturbing part is that I am not even sure why - on its face value it seems great And that is exactly the reason why it is not the right direction. Think about it. Why would one choose a virtual world over the new one? Because apparently the real world is not good enough. On the surface the virtual looks better, but if you engage in it, I think you will probably find out that it is as boring and hard as the real one. People have lived for centuries without it. In those years there have both been plenty of fulfilled lives and unfulfilled lives. Clearly, the shiny happy virtual world is not a prerequisite for a fulfilled live. Now think about what made those lives fulfilling. Whatever the answer, it can be done in the real world. It probably is also not superficial and also not shiny. So trading the current world for the shiny virtual world is not the ultimate solution to whatever it is that you are looking for. It can be a tool, like the telephone is. But not more.
- growlist 7y ago

corysama 7y ago

Showing VR users awkwardly ignoring friends who are right next to them does run face-first into a talking point I've heard repeatedly from people who reject VR out of hand. While, I agree with you 100% that it was a poor choice of theme for the video, I've never been impressed with the talking point. It has always been presented to me as if they were arguing that the telephone was an isolating, anti-social device. "Imagine you were hanging out with someone, having a good time. And, out of nowhere they pull this little 'device' out of their pocket and press it against the side of their face. Then they start walking around, looking around at nothing, acting you aren't even there and having a conversation with nobody! What kind of jerk would do that? Not me! Not ever!" You would be a jerk if you suddenly cut off a conversation to call someone else out of the blue. That's why people don't do that! With phones, stepping out to take a call is considered situationally OK. But, that's not (yet) a user story for VR. Instead, the common story is that you have some time to yourself, maybe you'll watch TV or browse the internets. But, instead you go into VR where it is very convenient and easy to hang out and do wacky stuff with random people all over to the world. Hopefully, when VR becomes more common, it will be somewhat less random people and somewhat more friends and family that you'd like to see more often but don't because of physical inconveniences (like being located in a separate cities/countries/continents).

foolfoolz 7y ago
who would ever sit next to their partner on the couch in complete silence while you both mindlessly scroll through mediocre content on your phones and once you find something of above average quality you give a smile or nose exhale and then without even looking up continue back to the scroll??
- toxicFork 7y ago
  Startup idea: time configurable short range signal jammer
mola 7y ago
In my opinion it's not the supposedly ignoring friends part. It's the fact that replacing then non virtual world with a virtual one means that you are giving your life entirely to a commercial entity. You basically lose all freedoms humanity achieved for the individual. Because this new space is not public, it's entirely owned. If it would be opt in and an individual choice than I wouldn't care much. But these things, if they are engaging enough will tend to attract a critical mass of people that might make the old non virtual space obselet in many ways. This will effect me weather I like it or not.

sbarzowski 7y ago

It basically looks like an intro to a Black Mirror episode...

post_below 7y ago

At every advance in communications and information exchange there's that "this isn't right" feeling shared by half of the people from generations that didn't grow up with it. Not that I disagree with you. There are going to be all kinds ugly side effects when VR worlds go mainstream (maybe not Facebook's but eventually). Remember the height of MMORPGs when people were dying of dehydration, murdering each other in the real world and other craziness? But putting the future of the human race aside for a sec... this is some of the most tone deaf advertising I've seen in a while. It's almost as if they listed all the major issues that turn people off of VR and then tried to make them selling points. "People will accept anything if we do low hanging Pixaresque jokes!"

pfortuny 7y ago

Yeah, like “you can have a life here, as you don’t in the real world”.

klemola 7y ago

It is a little, but to me mostly because of the apparent time of the day (morning/noon). Me and my SO often immerse in different things while in the same room. Could be as simple as both reading fiction, or I could be playing video games while she watches TV. It's not what we do over breakfast, though! If the video showed couples doing their own thing while it's already dark outside, it would be more natural. VR to me is no more escapist than playing an intense team based FPS online. Not that I am fan of the idea of a Facebook MMO!

jpindar 7y ago
Virtual worlds are socially acceptable as long as you are killing people in them.

buboard 7y ago

Smartphones exist

Barrin92 7y ago

what certainly doesn't help is the graphics of the game which looks exactly like something out of a movie 20 years ago when people where making tons of VR dystopia sci-fi flicks

tomp 7y ago

A good relationship is one where you can be close to each other, each doing their own thing, and feel "close" and connected. From that perspective, playing a game (possibly in a virtual world) isn't really that different from reading a book.

majani 7y ago

Let's be honest, virtual world games have always appealed to people who are not doing so well in the real world. From a pure business perspective, that is the problem, and virtual worlds are the convenient solution.

botanrice 7y ago

That video is horrifying

etrautmann 7y ago

Yeah, this almost seems like satire from a dystopian scifi movie. The actual presented ideas were fine but the tone and jokes landed far from where FB marketers presumably intended.

apta 7y ago

Not to mention it's very cringey, as well as the somewhat implicit messaging where "the kitchen is not only for women", see we have a progressive man here who's preparing a meal for his wife.