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Virtual reality has reached far beyond the interest of only computer scientists and engineers. It has also peaked interest in many other fields including; communication and telecommunication industrialists, artists, the entertainment industry, the medical field, the military, and major businesses and industries. While once believed to excel in mainly forms of entertainment, namely high-tech video games, virtual reality is rapidly becoming an advanced means for communication. Virtual reality technology allows for users to observe and access information in a number of ways. It is this aspect that is increasingly appealing to large businesses and corporations. Virtual reality, once perfected, will have widespread use in these particular fields.

Almost all advances in technology have an impact on society at large, and virtual reality is definitely one of them. Virtual reality will have major effects, both positive and negative, on our society in the future. While presently only in the beginning stages, virtual reality could change our future way of life drastically.

Some of the positive implications of virtual reality will be used in order to prevent mistake or practice trial and error. For example, in the medical field simulated surgery would serve in the training of new doctors and medical students. Experimentation with new procedures on simulated patients could become possible as well. In the military the use of flight simulators has been a practice for years. The use of virtual reality would provide even more advanced, realistic situations for military training in flight as well as in combat. Virtual reality in businesses and corporations would provide tremendous means of communication and equal access to data. For example, rather than search through file cabinets on a computer desktop, the user will be able to actually open the file drawers and flip through the files his or her self (Carr 40).

There are also several drawbacks to this technological advance and its foretold widespread incorporation into our society. The present cost and the complications with the virtual reality equipment are two of the main negatives facing scientists. For example, the head set sometimes cannot keep up with the natural movements of the user's head. The issue of dehumanization in our society is a another negative aspect. It is essential to our existence that we maintain a humanistic mindset and not become overrun by a technology immersed world. Virtual reality, if as widespread as predicted, could result in a significant decrease in human interaction in the real world. It's advantageous for building stronger companies and so on; but what will our society turn into if everyone is walking around in goggles and gloves pretending they are somewhere that doesn't even exist?

In addition, virtual reality defeats the traditional view that fantasy is unattainable. In a way fantasy and what we cannot obtain is intrinsic to our existence. People may begin to spend more and more time in their preferred "virtual or fantasy world" and less time in reality. One researcher says that if, "people eventually use virtual reality technology for the same amount of time that they spend watching TV and using computers, some users could end up spending more than twenty years inside virtual reality" (Biocca 14). If we begin to lose our hold on distinguishing between fantasy and reality, our entire world will become uncertain. While virtual reality is a colossal accomplishment in the science world, there must be some limitations on its incorporation into our society.