Summary of my 3d Artifact Research

            The potential of implementing three-dimensional technology in various aspects of the daily mass media world is vast and has the ability to positively affect society if used correctly and in moderation. However, the potential for harm may be just as strong since scientists, researchers, and scholars can only speculate the repercussions of the relatively new three-dimensional technological implementation within society’s daily lives. Marshall McLuhan has been theorizing for decades about these types of effects on our society. One method to theorize these potential effects is to place the three dimensional genre under the microscope of Marshall McLuhan's tetrad. Using this tool a realization can be made that three-dimensional technology has the potential to enhance military training, help educate students within the classroom, and provide better visualizing for scientists and doctors in order to achieve better research. The reverse of this assumption could lead to unforeseen dangers, such as the harm that would potentially be done to our society’s visual and mental stimuli. This is supported by virtual reality pioneer Marc Pesce who warns that watching three dimensional movies causes damage within our brains ability to decipher depth cues. Taking these finding into account, if three dimensional technologies continues to be used in society at the rate that it has been within the past several years, the consequences may be overwhelming to a less then knowledgeable public. On the other hand if society choices to educate itself on the potential for both the negative and positive aspects of three dimensional technology in our daily lives then this technology can be fully utilized to improve various aspects of society and how we see the world as a whole.     

            The true test of whether three dimensional technology will contribute to society in a positive or negative way will only be answered within the coming years. Predictive measures such as Marshall McLuhan's tetrad can help theorize and plan the potential for misuse and the pitfalls of implementing three dimensional technology within daily use. The question is will society continue to use three dimensional technology for the visual advancement of video games, movies, cell phones, toys and public advertisements to enhance the sear entertainment value of everyday life. Or will society utilize three dimensional technology to enhance military training, help educate students within the classroom, provide better visualizing for scientific and medical research while taking precautions to educate itself of the dangers that three-dimensional technology potentially has on and individuals visual and mental stimuli such as the side effect Binocular Dysphoria.