Is Virtual Reality the Future of Humanity?

With the acquisition of Oculus by Facebook for 2 billion, the research and development on other head-mounted displays (HMD) by other companies such as Valve, or the recent investment by Google into augmented and virtual reality. There seems to be a solid effort to push this new form of media into the mainstream. So much so, that by the middle of the next decade the way we experience media will change, and the world will become a much different place as a result.

Why does VR have such transformative capabilities? Not only is VR an immersive experience, it also grants the user with a feeling of presence, the subjective sensation of literally being somewhere else. In a way similar to psychedelic drugs, VR experiences can change the ways people view the world and themselves. It has the capacity to dissolve boundaries. No matter where we are in the world people will have the opportunity to connect, share, and co-evolve in heightened experiences.

Currently the technology is at its infancy stage, and we can expect more ergonomic HMD's with wider field of view and higher resolution. We can also expect that at some point down the line there is the possibility of a neural interface i.e a direct connection to the brain. So its only going to get better and cheaper, effectively making it so that you could be anywhere in the world and have a high quality virtual reality experience that transcends the limitations of everyday life. Want to see the new movie but can't because the tickets are sold out? Not anymore, virtual space is nearly unlimited. You wouldn't have to get in your car to drive to the movie theater. You could generate a private theater with just you and your friends with as big of a screen as you like.

The most important thing that will change, I cannot emphasize this strongly enough. Is that an incomprehensibly large amount of resources will be spared because we will create things strictly out of information. The possibilities are near infinite but I will list a few I can think of.

New architectural design strategies.
You can walk through a building in the design process and share with others the experience of what it feels like to be in that space.

New kind of racing.
There is no need to replace tires with rubber, or the possibility of crashing and getting injured. A kid in Africa could put on his headset and race NASCAR with thousands of others. Or you could race with the cyclists at the Tour de France from the comfort of your own home.

No risk of sexually transmitted disease.
Its not far out to think eventually it will be preferable to have sex in virtual reality. It will be safer and better. Less healthcare costs as a result and I mean perhaps the cessation of sexual assault.

Transcendental education.
Teaching human anatomy, geography, tennis... anything I can think of will become more accessible, more effective, and less resource intensive.

Heightened experiences.
The most exciting thing would be completely new experiences that only work with interfaces in VR. Things we cannot even begin to imagine. A new lease on life for the physically disabled, new forms of subjective experiences etc.

This is going to change the way we see and think about the world, the way we solve problems, and perhaps leave us being OK with leaving more of nature untouched and letting the animals exist without disturbance from human activity. I am excited at the possibilities, and I hope you are too!