At some point in the future there will be computer systems that are able to simulate reality for human beings to point where they cannot distinguish the experience from reality. Computer technology is getting ever more sophisticated and VR experiences have progressed significantly over the last few years. There is nothing that will provide an absolute limit to the improvements that can be made. The pace of development is increasing and there is no shortage of funding for software development that creates more life-like experiences. The questions that are yet unanswered are:

Currently we experience digital media through various platforms on the internet. We are able to chose to engage with digital experiences or to focus our attention on the analogue world. The content that we chose to focus on is nominally under our control, but our choices are influenced by algorithms that are optimised to capture our attention for as long as possible. The digital media platforms are businesses that are maximising revenue from advertising and the more engaged a user is for a longer time, the more likely it is that they will proceed to spend money with one of the advertisers. The system is incentivised to use user data in order to understand their reactions and to deliver content that is optimised to have them spend more money. The most profitable strategy for the platform is to develop carefully devised techniques that aim to induce users into thinking their lives will be better if they buy goods and services that they don’t really need.

If you consider how technology might evolve over the next few years, then one can imagine that the content selection process in a VR experience will become an extension of the way that content is chosen on digital media platforms right now. The algorithms will likely be even more sophisticated than the ones that we have now and they will feed addictive experiences to users to the point that they don’t want to leave.

The above situation is a problem that is created by bad financial incentives where the users believe that they are getting the content for free. If we have a system where users have the option to pay for content on a per item basis, then the incentive system is different. Creators could be rewarded for delivering quality rather than for capturing attention. The platform would be incentivised to promote the highest quality content to the customer in order that they could generate the highest total revenue. A user’s decision to make a payment is discrete and thoughtful. If they feel like they have received quality, then they will be more willing to pay more for it. An algorithm that prioritises the content that has received most payments could be employed in this space, as it would hopefully lead to the highest quality experience for the customer. Customers be inclined to use this platform more and recommend it to their friends.

A quality digital media experience is likely to be one where the customer feels satiated as a result of it. They can happily walk away from it and re-engage in their everyday lives where they will be able to be productive members of society and earn money to spend on food, shelter, family and friends. An incentive system that aims to keep the user engaged for as long as possible is one where they will never be satisfied, they will find it very difficult to walk away and their engagement with normal life will be weak and unproductive. The best way to get a customer to pay voluntarily is to make them feel satisfied. The best way to induce someone to pay for something that they don’t really want is to leave them wanting.

The evolution of digital media platforms into virtual reality experiences and of algorithms into autonomous information machines that deliver experiences to us is all but inevitable. We have the opportunity to build new systems now that could give a degree of control over how these machines operate in the future.

We can’t stop this ship that we are on, it’s moving fast and gaining speed. All we can do is try to alter the direction a little. Shifting the trajectory a couple of inches right now might mean that we can miss an obstacle that is miles wide a few years down the line.