The World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30 seeks to find justice for the approximately 21 million people trafficked annually around the world. Empathetic Media has partnered with the ATTeam of the Red Cross of Pancevo in Serbia to raise awareness about the issue of modern human slavery. The story, entitled “#STOPtrafficking2016”, will be hosted on Empathetic Media’s free … Read More
Five projects using different mediums to explore human trafficking
The World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30 seeks to find justice for the approximately 21 million people who are trafficked annually around the world. To raise awareness about modern human slavery, we are launching our latest augmented reality piece, “#STOPtrafficking2016,” on our app ARc Stories this Friday. It is a partnership with the ATTeam from the Red Cross Pancevo, part … Read More
Telling the story of modern human slavery through augmented reality
Osei is a young boy in Ghana forced to work for a fishing master. Hari is a father in Nepal trapped in debt bondage. Gwen is a teenager in the United States stuck in a prostitution ring. What do all three of these people have in common? They have all been affected by human trafficking. The World Day Against Trafficking … Read More
How will augmented reality change our relationship to machines?
With the new augmented reality game Pokemon Go bringing AR into the mainstream in ways it never has before, Tom Chatfield argues that the divide between humans and machines might just be disappearing. But Chatfield doesn’t view AR as something negative and also argues that questions concerning how we interact with technology are nothing new. He cites Norbert Wiener’s 1963 … Read More
Why on the second anniversary of his death, it is important we remember Eric Garner
When Eric Garner died during his arrest by police on July 17 2014 in Staten Island, Ramsey Orta filmed the incident, capturing Garner repeating “I can’t breath” 11 times while being restrained. It’s a video that fueled protests as part of the Black Lives Matter movement and the phrase has been adopted by activists, celebrities and athletes. Now, on the second anniversary of … Read More
How virtual reality can help seniors live happier, healthier lives
In her article, Kara Platoni explores if virtual reality can help seniors’ mental as well as physical health. In the United States, the elderly, especially those who live alone or in care facilities, often feel alienated and suffer from chronic pain, depression or anxiety, according to Dr. Sonya Kim. With her Aloha VR program, Kim is bringing virtual reality technology … Read More
Can virtual reality make people care about the environment?
As Heather Millar writes for Yale’s Environment 360, one of the environmental movement’s biggest struggles is making people care about ecosystems that are often far away from them. Jeremy Bailenson, a professor of communication at Stanford University, said that ““Virtual reality can give everyone, regardless of where they live, the kind of experience needed to generate the urgency required to … Read More
Empathetic Media feat. in Austria
Thanks to Lucas Plank, we were featured in the Austrian magazine Medien Manager. In an interview with our founder Dan Archer, Plank discusses the potentials of augmented reality in journalism. “With the help of AR, journalists can provide the readers with the possibility to experience the news from their own perspective,” said Archer. In general, AR production costs are much lower than VR (virtual reality). Users … Read More
Virtual reality, cultural exchange and empathy
We think it is worth highlighting this interview with Grace Lau, the director of virtual reality for Global Nomads, which uses VR to facilitate virtual exchanges between students in the United States and other countries. This is a unique application of the medium, and while it is not totally storytelling-based, it is focused on the democratization of technology and touches … Read More
How Pokémon Go uses AR to bring people together
On July 6, amongst global protests against police shootings, a little game called Pokémon Go quickly took over the world. The augmented reality (AR) experience, created by Niantic, uses GPS to let players capture Pokémon around their city and pick up supplies at Pokéstops, which are real world landmarks. After reaching a certain level, players’ avatars can battle it out … Read More