Virtual Journalism Summit: The Immersive Internet will Change the Way You Work

Erica Driver spoke about the Immersive Internet and the impact it is going to have on the future, and specifically its impact on business. The focus of her presentation and research is on work related use of Immersive Internet.

She lectured on how while meeting in person is favorable, using the Immersive Internet for meetings still gives the feeling of being together in space and time without actually traveling, making it better than phone/video conferences. It allows 3D collaborative tools to be used, so that people can still work together and interact on the same "white board" during a conference, unlike video conferences. Large corporations are beginning to invest in this new technology. For example, IBM did a conference via Immersive Internet which was only one-fifth of the cost of what the physical event would have been. It cut down on travel/venue costs, while increasing productivity. Immersive Internet is also being experimented with in customer service; the results have been very positive, actually leading to higher sales.

The impact of the Immersive Internet on the journalism field is something Driver talked about in depth. Driver said that Immersive Internet will change the face of journalism in the next three to four years. Examples of the new technology's imact include, reporting on immersive events, conducting interviews using virtual worlds, rehearsing for difficult or dangerous conditions, and enhancing audience engagement.

Closing points Driver made about the importance and future of the Immersive Internet included the fact that the Immersive Internet is compared to in-person communication more than it is compared to phone/video conferencing. Also, knowing that journalism is a dying industry because of consumers' growing reliance on technology for news, the future of the industry depends on innovation, and the Immersive Internet provides journalists an opportunity for a competitive advantage. Lastly a closing point Driver spoke on was the idea that there are things you can do in 3D that you cannot do in 2D or even in the real world, further promoting the use of the Immersive Internet in the work place.