The "ultimate empathy machine" revisited: challenges of augmented and virtual realities from an ethical perspective

Virtual realities can be understood as computer-mediated simulations that create the feeling that users are present in a real-physical environment. Enthusiasts postulate that virtual experiences of reality have a more intense effect on the users than traditional media. Social and ethical implications of this technology arise not only from its potential for the extension of individual experiences of different realities, but also from its increasing pervasion of each area of everyday life. On the basis of a literature review, the article shows to what extent virtual realities can be understood as a drastic push in the mediatization of society. Building on this theoretical framework, different personal as well as social implications of VR and AR applications are specified and discussed from the perspective of media ethics