360-Degree Videos Are Making Social Issues And Educational Content More Engaging For Canadians

(MENAFN- The Conversation) Immersive film using virtual reality (VR) or 360-degree video is being used increasingly as a tool for eliciting empathy and emotional identification in fact-based stories. Unlike traditional flat film, immersive films allow viewers to look in any direction while watching the video.

This immersive quality is what makes these films such an intriguing medium. Nearly a decade ago, American filmmaker Chris Milk described VR as the“ultimate empathy machine” because it can fully immerse viewers in another person's environment and perspective.

This sentiment has been echoed by VR journalism pioneer Nonny de la Peña , whose early work explored the unique storytelling characteristics of the medium. Her first VR film, Hunger in Los Angeles , was the first VR documentary to be showcased at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012.

The film depicts a diabetic man collapsing outside a food bank due to low blood sugar. Viewers reported feeling a great deal of empathy for the man, with some reaching out to try and help him .

In March 2015 , YouTube launched support for publishing and viewing 360-degree videos. Today, anyone can film and share 360-degree video content using commercially available cameras , expanding the possibilities for storytelling and audience engagement.

Rise of 360-degree video content

Countless content creators, filmmakers and journalists have produced immersive content using these cameras. In 2016, for instance, CBC produced Highway of Tears , a short 360-degree video about 16-year-old Ramona Wilson, a young Indigenous woman from the Gitxsan Nation who disappeared along Highway 16 near Prince George, B.C., in 1994.

CBC has produced other 360-degree videos to highlight real-world challenges and experiences, including Ice Rescue from the Victim's Perspective and Accessibility Advocate Shows What It's Like to Use a Wheelchair in Winter .

'Highway of Tears: 360 Video' from CBC.

Canadian researchers have also been using immersive technologies like virtual reality and 360-degree video as tools for education and empathy-building.

A group of Canadian researchers conducted an experiment with VR to see if they could foster empathy for the impact of climate change on oceans . Using a VR simulation, they showed participants optimistic and pessimistic future impacts of climate change on oceans. After experiencing the simulation, participants expressed increased empathy and concern for the issue .

Similarly, at Toronto Metropolitan University, researchers used 360-degree videos to deepen empathy and understanding for people taking care of individuals with dementia . Participants watched 360-degree videos filmed from the perspective of two fictional characters living with dementia. They reported strong emotional responses to the videos and a deeper understanding of living with dementia.

As immersive technology becomes more accessible, its potential to foster empathy and understanding across a range of social issues continues to grow.

Is VR truly the 'ultimate empathy machine'?

Is immersive technology truly the“ultimate empathy machine?” Presently, there's no agreement among experts. Some question the scientific rigour used to support such claims. Past research has suffered from small sample sizes, a lack of diversity among research participants and a lack of longitudinal studies investigating the effects of empathy.

Other researchers suggest that, while empathetic gains have been demonstrated, these effects tend to fade after a short time. One study found that while VR increased emotional empathy for refugees, those feelings were mostly gone after just 10 days. More importantly, these empathic responses didn't translate into actions like charitable donations.

Some researchers have taken a more nuanced approach by distinguishing between emotional and cognitive empathy. Cognitive empathy involves knowing how other people think and feel, while emotional empathy involves feeling another person's emotions. The findings from one research study indicate that VR can improve emotional empathy , but not cognitive empathy.

This distinction is crucial in assessing VR's potential as an empathy-building tool. While immersive experiences may create strong emotional responses, their long-term influence and ability to drive meaningful action remain uncertain.

Knowledge mobilization

Other research suggests VR and 360-degree video have the potential to be knowledge-transfer tools . Canadian researchers are encouraged to engage the Canadian public through knowledge mobilization - the process of sharing research findings with organizations, people and government.

Several Canadian research institutions have started using 360-degree video as a knowledge-mobilization tool. For example, researchers at the National Research Council Canada's (NRC) Hydrogen Laboratory in British Columbia produced a 360-degree video allowing audiences to see the lab and learn more about the research conducted there.

360-degree video of the Hydrogen Laboratory in Vancouver.

The NRC has produced other 360-degree video explainers, including one about the Aerial Robotics Laboratory in Montréal and another about the Climatic Testing Facility located in Ottawa .

At a time when Canadians are inundated with information, immersive video explainers offer a unique way to learn about science and society. While it remains unclear whether VR is truly the“ultimate empathy machine,” its ability to place audiences at the centre of stories and events has been shown to have positive effects on learning, information retention and the transfer of knowledge .

Immersive film may not be a guaranteed empathy-builder, but it's far from being an apathy machine. Ultimately, it offers unique perspectives to Canadians wishing to learn more about the world we live in.

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