Xinran Mao

About     Works    Contact







This VR experience confronts the dangers of digital empathy dependency by immersing users
in seemingly perfect AI relationships that gradually reveal their emotional hollowness. As virtual
connections replace authentic human interaction, a distorting digital mirror and real-time
biometric data visualize the user's diminishing emotional responsiveness. The narrative culminates
in a stark choice: remain in sterile digital perfection or brave the messy complexity of real
relationships. Through this immersive critique, the project exposes how our pursuit of
convenient digital connection risks sacrificing the irreducible richness of genuine human empathy.






It aims to critique the potential future of the digital age: excessive indulgence
in visual and auditory digital stimuli will erode individual sensitivity,  rich sensory
information like touch, smell, and ambiance in reality. Over time, this leads to profound
emptiness, blurred lines between reality and illusion, trapping people in a world that seems
vibrant yet is hollow at its core. It highlights the grave issue of digital over-reliance.






Video Showcase