[W Forum] VR Journalism: Vivid Empathy for Social Issues

Recently, MBC aired the second season of the virtual reality (VR) human documentary "I Met You" to commemorate its 60th anniversary. In the first season aired last year, VR footage, which was somewhat unfamiliar to the general public, touched many hearts by showing a mother meeting her 7-year-old daughter who suddenly passed away from a rare incurable disease, speaking words she couldn't say before, and celebrating her birthday together, sparking widespread attention.

The first and second episodes of season 2 similarly depicted the experience of reuniting with departed family members through technology. It showed the daily lives of a husband who lost his wife to illness four years ago and five children who lost their mother, sharing memories and illustrating the process of recreating the wife and mother, who remained only in their memories, through technology. Although not perfect, the reunion between the husband and wife in the virtual world and the children watching it was moving. While based on technology, the significance lies in being able to look into human appearances and emotions through technology, as the title "human documentary" suggests, and it was a valuable experience to reflect on the importance and value of family through the process of overcoming the grief of losing family members.

The third episode, "I Met Yonggyun," where ordinary people meet the late Kim Yonggyun, who died in an accident at the Taean Thermal Power Plant in December 2018, was a new attempt to expand the discussion on the use and meaning of technology. We learned about Kim, who worked alone as a non-regular worker without proper safety equipment in harsh working conditions and tragically passed away in an accident, through the news, but often regarded it as just one of many accidents, showing little interest or even avoiding it due to discomfort.

Did Kim’s mother’s desperate appeals?distributing flyers and fasting in front of the National Assembly to urge labor law reform after losing her son?reach the general public who were not well informed about the accident? Ordinary people such as housewives, university lecturers, students, and job seekers who saw his daily life and final moments recreated through technology could not help but feel sorrow. The Kim they met in the virtual world was a family member and an ordinary neighbor who lived diligently despite difficult circumstances, and his unfortunate accident could have happened to anyone.

VR journalism is also being used overseas to vividly convey the cries of refugee children in war-torn areas like Syria, such as in The New York Times’ refugee documentary, delivering real scenes and immersive experiences through VR. "I Met Yonggyun" is meaningful not only for VR’s advantages of realism and immersion but also for its storytelling through reporting, which enhanced understanding of others and evoked empathy for social issues.

Although countless news stories pour in every day, we often respond indifferently as we live busy lives. VR journalism shows potential as a method to accurately recognize and empathize with social issues we must not overlook and to create opportunities to strive for change. While technology cannot solve everything in this early technological era we live in, considering what can be done through technology is an important point. Vivid empathy for the problems of the communities we live in together is the foundation for solutions, and we look forward to VR journalism that goes beyond mere experimentation.

Choi Se-jung, Professor, Department of Media and Graduate School, Korea University