By the turn of the century, it will no longer be a novelty. It will put movies and television to shame. It will be a tool of the imagination, every child’s dream.
Predictor: Lanier, Jaron
Prediction, in context:In a 1992 article for Maclean’s, a Canadian news magazine, D’Arcy Jenish quotes VR entrepreneur Jaron Lanier. Jenish writes:”It is called virtual reality, and its proponents say that it could profoundly affect everyday life, as well as business, entertainment and dozens of professions. Some futurists say that the technology could even be exploited to fulfill sexual fantasies – or to replace drugs as a way of escaping from reality into richly detailed worlds of the imagination. Said Jaron Lanier, a 32-year-old California computer whiz who coined the term visual reality: ‘By the turn of the century, it will no longer be a novelty. It will put movies and television to shame. It will be a tool of the imagination, every child’s dream.’ … Lanier said that by the end of the century virtual reality will be a major form of home entertainment, and that consumer systems will be linked by electronic networks. He predicted that homeowners and their neighbors will enter the same virtual spaces and interact with each other.”
Biography:Jaron Lanier was a pioneer of virtual reality and founder and former CEO of VPL. (Pioneer/Originator.)
Date of prediction: December 1, 1992
Topic of prediction: Getting, Sharing Information
Subtopic: Virtual Reality
Name of publication: Maclean's
Title, headline, chapter name: Fantastic Voyages: Proponents of Virtual Reality Say That It Will Change the Way People Live and Do Business
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?_m=a9f73fe152d10fb526c48e765e7ee291&_docnum=10&wchp=dGLbVzz-lSlAl&_md5=62b6bdfcdf8f096b372f3479064d9cc5
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Lightburn, Ellie