VR can provide an immersive escape from the mundane.
But theres one thing it wont let you escape from for much longer: advertising.
That always sounded optimistic, given the social data pipe gets around 97% of its revenue from ads.
Seven years later, the skeptics have been proven correct.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
Facebook will first test the ads in dueling shooter gameBlastonand two other unnamed apps.
It sounds like a science fiction nightmare brought to (virtual) reality.
The ads could also prove horrifyingly effective.
Its hard to look away when youre strapped into a headset, and research suggests VR can increaseempathyandengagement.
Those curvaceous Coca-Cola bottles could look more irresistible than ever.
Politicians, conspiracy theorists, and con artists must be rubbing their grubby mitts.
Facebook has tried to mitigate the concerns by highlighting the companys privacy policies and user controls.
Oculus users can hide specific ads or those from individual advertisers.
They can also access more detailed Ad Preferences via the Why am I seeing this ad?
Outside of that, this test doesnt change how your Oculus data is processed or how it informs ads.
The company hopes the ads will create new revenue streams for virtual reality.
But theycould also push potential customers away.
VR still hasnt truly taken off yet, and Facebook is already sullying the techs escapist appeal.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he e(show all)Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse).
