Modern WisdomThe Future Of Virtual Reality | Dr Sarah Jones | Modern Wisdom Podcast 110
At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Immersive Storyliving, Not Storytelling: How VR Will Transform Experience Itself
- Dr. Sarah Jones, the first PhD in immersive storytelling, discusses how virtual and augmented reality shift narratives from 'storytelling' to 'storyliving' by placing users inside experiences rather than in front of screens. She explains why simply porting old formats into new tech (like 360 versions of TV news) fails, and argues creators must design from the experiential perspective first. The conversation covers current hardware (Oculus Quest, Vive, HoloLens), social and location-based VR experiences, and emerging use cases such as empathy-building, journalism, theater and education. They also explore ethical concerns around manipulation, harassment, privacy, and regulation as immersive tech becomes more persuasive and ubiquitous.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasDesign VR from the experience outward, not the story backward.
Jones argues creators must begin by asking, “What experience do I want someone to have in this place?” rather than forcing traditional start–middle–end narratives onto spherical cameras and interactive environments.
Don’t just port old formats into new platforms.
She criticizes early VR attempts like 360 news reports that copied TV-style reporting, missing the chance to rethink framing, audience perspective, and presence when the viewer is placed on the scene.
VR removes the frame and hands control to the audience.
In immersive environments there is no fixed frame; different viewers can focus on different elements, experience the piece in divergent ways, and even resist creator cues—demanding a mindset shift for control-oriented directors.
Location-based and social VR currently offer the most compelling uses.
Experiences like The VOID or ‘War of the Worlds’ in London combine headsets with actors, sets, haptics, scent, heat, and group dynamics, creating richer, theater-like events than typical at-home headset use.
Augmented reality is likely to scale faster than home VR.
Because AR can run on phones and future glasses or lenses, Jones expects everyday uses like education, shared yet personalized screens, and holographic overlays to outpace mass adoption of intrusive, heavy headsets.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesI usually say it's immersive story living… you live it in whatever way you want, therefore it's story living.
— Dr. Sarah Jones
What can I do that I can only do because of this technology?
— Dr. Sarah Jones
There is no frame. I can make something and have 10 different people watch it in 10 completely different ways.
— Dr. Sarah Jones
We owe it to the tech to make it great and to break it and find new ways of using it.
— Dr. Sarah Jones
It comes down to that question of how real is the virtual, really? And if we can’t decipher what’s real and what’s not, that can be just as bad.
— Dr. Sarah Jones
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