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The phenomenon of virtual reality in the context of transformations of modern socio-cultural processes

stmm. 2025 (2): 153–167

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2025.02.153

Full text: https://stmm.in.ua/archive/ukr/2025-2/10.pdf

SERHII YEVDOKYMOV, Postgraduate Student at the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, Kherson State University (14, Shevchenko St., Ivano-Frankivsk, 76000)

serhii.Ievdokymov@ksu.ks.ua

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7213-0259

The article is dedicated to a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon of virtual reality as an innovative sociocultural formation that significantly changes the ways of human existence, perception, communication, and interaction in the digital age. Virtual reality is viewed not only as a technological achievement but also as a space for new social practices, in which alternative models of experience, thinking, and interaction are formed. Special attention is given to how the virtual environment transforms the structure of culture, redefines educational and artistic processes, reshapes medical practice, and opens new opportunities for psychological rehabilitation.

The study emphasizes the positive potential of virtual reality, particularly its ability to stimulate creativity, activate learning processes, develop empathy through simulating social situations, and create new forms of collaboration regardless of geographical limitations. Furthermore, virtual spaces offer the opportunity for deeper immersion in learning through the visualization of complex and abstract concepts, making the educational process more interactive and engaging.

At the same time, the article focuses on a number of risks that arise from the hyperintegration of virtual technologies into everyday life, including social isolation, devaluation of real experiences, erosion of traditional communication, deepening digital inequality, violation of privacy, and the formation of dependency on artificially constructed impressions. Specifically, one of the greatest threats is the rapid increase in social distance between those who have access to advanced technologies and those who cannot take advantage of such opportunities.

The article also examines the interaction of virtual reality with other innovative directions, such as neurotechnologies, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality, which together create a new paradigm of human-centered technologies. Thanks to the integration of these technologies, the possibilities for personalized and adaptive systems in education, therapy, and interaction increase significantly, allowing for even more precise adjustment of interfaces to the users' needs.

The transformation of the concepts of corporeality, personal identity, authenticity, and subjectivity in a virtualized society is outlined. In parallel, new challenges emerge concerning the preservation of the authenticity of personal experience and the genuineness of interactions in the digital space. The conclusion is drawn about the necessity of an interdisciplinary approach to studying this phenomenon in order to create effective ethical, legal, and pedagogical mechanisms for its harmonious integration into societal life.

Keywords: virtual reality; sociocultural processes; neurotechnologies; ethics; privacy; innovations; education; medicine; art

References

  1. Bailenson, J.N. (2018). Experience on Demand: What Virtual Reality Is, How It Works, and What It Can Do. W.W. Norton & Company.

  2. Baudrillard, J. (1994). Simulacra and Simulation. University of Michigan Press. https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.9904

  3. Bondarenko, V.V. et al. (2020). Virtualization of reality as a phenomenon of the culture of the modern information society. [In Ukrainian]. Bulletin of the Cherkasy Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University. Series: Philosophy, 1, 5-12.

  4. Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In: Richardson, J. (Ed.), Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education (pp. 241-258). Greenwood.

  5. Castells, M. (2010). The Rise of the Network Society. Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444319514

  6. Debord, G. (1967). The Society of the Spectacle. Buchet-Chastel.

  7. Flaiano, E. (1965). Tutti gli uomini del mondo. Milano: Bompiani.

  8. Gryaznova, O. V. (2013). Philosophical analysis of the concepts of virtual reality. [In Ukrainian]. Philosophical thought, 4, 53-82.

  9. Hill, G. (1997). The Chemical Generation. London: HarperCollins.

  10. Kovalchuk, O.V. (2019). Virtual Reality: Concept and Essence. [In Ukranian]. Zhytomyr Ivan Franko state university journal, 10, 45-50.

  11. Kovalchuk, O. V. (2020). Virtual reality as a phenomenon and its impact on social reality. [In Ukrainian]. Humanitarni Studii, 9(1), 45-50.

  12. Lanier, J. (1989). Virtual Reality: The Revolution in Computer-Generated Art. New York: Doubleday.

  13. Luhmann, N. (1995). Social Systems. Stanford University Press.

  14. Minocha, S., Reeves, A.J. (2019). Designing for learning in virtual reality: An evaluation of an immersive experience for schools. Education and Information Technologies, 24(1), 343-358.

  15. Nunn, D. (1997). The Last Resort. London: Pan Macmillan.

  16. Sukharevska, O.M. (2022). Development of virtual reality technologies in modern cinema: challenges and prospects. [In Ukrainian]. Kultura i Suchasnict', 2, 35-42.

  17. Sutherland, E., Felten, P. (2019). Teaching and Learning in Virtual Reality. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 160, 73-82.

  18. Turchyn, A.I. (2021). Virtual reality in modern cinema. [In Ukrainian]. Mystetstvoznavchi Zapysky, 42, 102-110.

  19. Welsh, I. (1993). Trainspotting. Retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23955

  20. Yevdokymov, S. (2023). The phenomenon of virtual reality in the context of the prospects of socio-cultural processes. [In Ukrainian]. In: All-Ukrainian scientific conference of students and young scientists "Ukrainian art in the multifaceted manifestations" (pp. 20-22). Ivano-Frankivsk: Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University.

  21. Yevdokymov, S.O, Kurylenko, T.V. (2019). The problem of virtual reality in the context of the information society. [In Ukrainian]. In: X All-Ukrainian scientific and practical conference "Science. Students. Modernity. Patriotic and civic education of student youth: problems, traditions, strategic guidelines" (p. 71). Mykolaiv: MNU.

Received 06.02.2025

Accepted for publication after review 09.04.2025

Published 2025

The phenomenon of virtual reality in the context of transformations of modern socio-cultural processes

stmm. 2025 (2): 153–167

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2025.02.153

Full text: https://stmm.in.ua/archive/ukr/2025-2/10.pdf

SERHII YEVDOKYMOV, Postgraduate Student at the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, Kherson State University (14, Shevchenko St., Ivano-Frankivsk, 76000)

serhii.Ievdokymov@ksu.ks.ua

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7213-0259

The article is dedicated to a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon of virtual reality as an innovative sociocultural formation that significantly changes the ways of human existence, perception, communication, and interaction in the digital age. Virtual reality is viewed not only as a technological achievement but also as a space for new social practices, in which alternative models of experience, thinking, and interaction are formed. Special attention is given to how the virtual environment transforms the structure of culture, redefines educational and artistic processes, reshapes medical practice, and opens new opportunities for psychological rehabilitation.

The study emphasizes the positive potential of virtual reality, particularly its ability to stimulate creativity, activate learning processes, develop empathy through simulating social situations, and create new forms of collaboration regardless of geographical limitations. Furthermore, virtual spaces offer the opportunity for deeper immersion in learning through the visualization of complex and abstract concepts, making the educational process more interactive and engaging.

At the same time, the article focuses on a number of risks that arise from the hyperintegration of virtual technologies into everyday life, including social isolation, devaluation of real experiences, erosion of traditional communication, deepening digital inequality, violation of privacy, and the formation of dependency on artificially constructed impressions. Specifically, one of the greatest threats is the rapid increase in social distance between those who have access to advanced technologies and those who cannot take advantage of such opportunities.

The article also examines the interaction of virtual reality with other innovative directions, such as neurotechnologies, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality, which together create a new paradigm of human-centered technologies. Thanks to the integration of these technologies, the possibilities for personalized and adaptive systems in education, therapy, and interaction increase significantly, allowing for even more precise adjustment of interfaces to the users' needs.

The transformation of the concepts of corporeality, personal identity, authenticity, and subjectivity in a virtualized society is outlined. In parallel, new challenges emerge concerning the preservation of the authenticity of personal experience and the genuineness of interactions in the digital space. The conclusion is drawn about the necessity of an interdisciplinary approach to studying this phenomenon in order to create effective ethical, legal, and pedagogical mechanisms for its harmonious integration into societal life.

Keywords: virtual reality; sociocultural processes; neurotechnologies; ethics; privacy; innovations; education; medicine; art

References

  1. Bailenson, J.N. (2018). Experience on Demand: What Virtual Reality Is, How It Works, and What It Can Do. W.W. Norton & Company.

  2. Baudrillard, J. (1994). Simulacra and Simulation. University of Michigan Press. https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.9904

  3. Bondarenko, V.V. et al. (2020). Virtualization of reality as a phenomenon of the culture of the modern information society. [In Ukrainian]. Bulletin of the Cherkasy Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University. Series: Philosophy, 1, 5-12.

  4. Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In: Richardson, J. (Ed.), Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education (pp. 241-258). Greenwood.

  5. Castells, M. (2010). The Rise of the Network Society. Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444319514

  6. Debord, G. (1967). The Society of the Spectacle. Buchet-Chastel.

  7. Flaiano, E. (1965). Tutti gli uomini del mondo. Milano: Bompiani.

  8. Gryaznova, O. V. (2013). Philosophical analysis of the concepts of virtual reality. [In Ukrainian]. Philosophical thought, 4, 53-82.

  9. Hill, G. (1997). The Chemical Generation. London: HarperCollins.

  10. Kovalchuk, O.V. (2019). Virtual Reality: Concept and Essence. [In Ukranian]. Zhytomyr Ivan Franko state university journal, 10, 45-50.

  11. Kovalchuk, O. V. (2020). Virtual reality as a phenomenon and its impact on social reality. [In Ukrainian]. Humanitarni Studii, 9(1), 45-50.

  12. Lanier, J. (1989). Virtual Reality: The Revolution in Computer-Generated Art. New York: Doubleday.

  13. Luhmann, N. (1995). Social Systems. Stanford University Press.

  14. Minocha, S., Reeves, A.J. (2019). Designing for learning in virtual reality: An evaluation of an immersive experience for schools. Education and Information Technologies, 24(1), 343-358.

  15. Nunn, D. (1997). The Last Resort. London: Pan Macmillan.

  16. Sukharevska, O.M. (2022). Development of virtual reality technologies in modern cinema: challenges and prospects. [In Ukrainian]. Kultura i Suchasnict', 2, 35-42.

  17. Sutherland, E., Felten, P. (2019). Teaching and Learning in Virtual Reality. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 160, 73-82.

  18. Turchyn, A.I. (2021). Virtual reality in modern cinema. [In Ukrainian]. Mystetstvoznavchi Zapysky, 42, 102-110.

  19. Welsh, I. (1993). Trainspotting. Retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23955

  20. Yevdokymov, S. (2023). The phenomenon of virtual reality in the context of the prospects of socio-cultural processes. [In Ukrainian]. In: All-Ukrainian scientific conference of students and young scientists "Ukrainian art in the multifaceted manifestations" (pp. 20-22). Ivano-Frankivsk: Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University.

  21. Yevdokymov, S.O, Kurylenko, T.V. (2019). The problem of virtual reality in the context of the information society. [In Ukrainian]. In: X All-Ukrainian scientific and practical conference "Science. Students. Modernity. Patriotic and civic education of student youth: problems, traditions, strategic guidelines" (p. 71). Mykolaiv: MNU.

Received 06.02.2025

Accepted for publication after review 09.04.2025

Published 2025

LATEST PRINTED ISSUE

LATEST FREELY ACCESSIBLE MATERIALS

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