Technology

Beginning with a horrifying VR experience at the Whitney on Saturday, I’ve been thinking a lot this week about technology, and how it fits into advertising. Advertising used to be something people see- in newspapers, on the TV they would flip past it or mute it but it wasn’t something they interacted with. “Real Violence” at the Whitney is so powerful because it isn’t on a screen that you can easily walk away from or choose not to watch. With VR, you are fully involved, fully interacting. Even if you take off the Oculus after 5 seconds and walk away, you don’t feel like you watched something, you feel like you witnessed something. I think advertising is moving in the same direction. It isn’t enough to create something for your consumer to see anymore; you have to create something for them to be a part of. 

Lina Rode