“You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one…”
We’re all familiar with the lyrics from John Lennon’s “Imagine”, which have echoed their inspirational words throughout history, spreading the understanding that the dreamers of the world are not alone and their dreams have the power to change the world.
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, for instance; he’s a dreamer. In 2004, he (along with college friends—we all know the story) launched the world’s current number one social networking platform, which started as a dream. As Zuckerberg puts it, “even the internet was once a dream.”
With Facebook’s most recent acquisition of Oculus VR for $2 billion on Tuesday, the company’s most recent dream is becoming clear.
Oculus VR, the innovative company behind the Oculus Rift headset began as a Kickstarter campaign, a quite successful one at that. The headset’s virtual reality technology was initially intended for the gaming world, but now that that the company is teaming up with the social network, the technology’s future will extend beyond games.
It’s no surprise that this has caused some mixed emotions in the gaming community, but based on Zuckerberg’s own statement, there’s nothing to worry about in that department. In his Facebook announcement Tuesday, Zuckerberg noted that, “Oculus will continue operating independently within Facebook,” which will allow them to continue developing their product.
To further lay worries to rest, Sony has announced a virtual reality prototype for PlayStation 4, Project Morpheus, which poses as competition for the Oculus Rift. So no matter what happens, it’s safe to say that the virtual reality gaming revolution is coming.
Following Facebook’s big ticket acquisition of messaging app, WhatsApp, (a cash and stock deal equaling around 19 billion dollars), there’s been significant backlash about Facebook’s recent spending spree. It’s been suggested that perhaps the company is more concerned with delighting the prospective customers of their future rather than facilitating relationships with the ones they have now.
In its defense, you just can’t please everyone. The technological world isn’t going to slow down for anyone. Facebook has proved their forward thinking and jumped at the opportunity to utilize these technological resources and creative minds to change the world as we know it. “The future is coming,” says Zuckerberg, “and we have the chance to build it together.”
Points to consider:
Facebook, in your face
It’s too soon to tell, but some already speculate that using Facebook will become an immersive experience. This even raises the humorous, yet perhaps serious question: what does this mean for ‘pokes’?
It’s not so farfetched at this point. After games, Facebook will begin to use the platform to transform other experiences.
“Oculus’s mission is to enable you to experience the impossible. Their technology opens up the possibility of completely new kinds of experiences.” Zuckerberg said on Facebook. He believes that with the potential to be “the most social platform ever” Oculus will bring virtual and augmented reality to people’s everyday lives.
Mobile today, virtual reality tomorrow
“Mobile is the platform of today, and now we’re also getting ready for the platforms of tomorrow.” – Mark Zuckerberg
You can’t hear it enough these days, it’s the age of mobile. It’s true, consumers are consistently on their mobile devices in an attempt to absorb content, make purchases, engage in social media and so much more.
There’s still much to be done on mobile – our smartphones and mobile devices aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. However, technology won’t stop there, and Zuckerberg and the team at Facebook believe they’re in a place where they can begin shaping these future experiences for us.
What could this mean for marketers?
If anything, I would say this is an exciting time for technological innovation to be embraced by the marketing and business worlds. For inbound marketing purposes, a brand must honestly connect with its audience on a real and personal level. This promises advancements in brand humanization and engagement.
Zuckerberg believes that the new addition to the Facebook family has the potential “to be the most social platform in the world.” With this technology, he prompts us to, “Imagine enjoying a court side seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face — just by putting on goggles in your home.”
Imagine not only providing your audience with visual content in an attempt to help them interact with you, but giving them a firsthand experience with your brand. Besides meeting in person, you can’t get more personal than that!
Check out the overview of the Oculus Rift straight from Palmer Luckey, its designer and the founder of Oculus: