When I was reading the news the other day, I saw that Apple has announced that they have made a ‘mixed-reality headset’ computer called Apple Vision Pro. This product is scheduled to be launched in early 2024 and is said to create an immersive experience between the real world and everyday apps. With Apple Vision Pro, users can have apps open in the spaces they are in.

Technology has many benefits, including making the world more interconnected. But, with technology like the Apple Vision Pro, how can we be sure that humans will continue interacting in person rather than online? With new technology being introduced, will we choose the convenience of Facetiming people or having in-person conversations? While there is no problem calling others, humans are created to interact with the people around us (in person).

New technology prohibits everyday interactions that used to happen before technology. If someone buys something from Starbucks, they can purchase it online or at the counter. Nowadays, most people prefer buying items online, which is more convenient. However, people lose that small interaction with an employee or another stranger. At first, losing this small interaction may seem insignificant, but this can cause harmful effects over time, even as extreme as social isolation.

Future generations need to understand the importance of human interaction. How will they grasp that technology hurts us rather than helps us? And how will society function appropriately if no one has in-person interactions because of increased technology? I believe technology should be limited, especially with advances in virtual reality. In virtual reality, people can ‘own’ as many objects as they want (money, clothes, homes, etc.). Of course, these ‘objects’ are figments; however, to many people, VR offers more than their real life. With the increased use of virtual reality and its attractiveness, will humanity start to live in a virtual world? While this might seem extreme, many articles have been made on this topic.

I believe that there is a chance that people will start to live in VR sets. The average human willingly spends 7 hours a day on technology, so it is highly plausible that future generations will live in VR. This is disturbing because the government can easily control our communities by monitoring content and promoting propaganda. A news article by Global Shakers says that a new company, Stratuscent, is developing technology to synthetically replicate smells from around the world. (For instance, if someone visited Paris in virtual reality, they would be able to see and smell Paris for how it is in real life.) I thought the author brought up a good point; he said, “And when that happens—how long before there’s no distinction between virtual reality and reality?” (Romer). If technology offers these opportunities on one device, people will not want to live in real life. People will not realize what is real and what is not.

Technology has the power to change the world positively, but we must be wary that it does not consume us. With this information in mind, I hope to end this article by causing you to ponder whether technology will help or hurt our society.