This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Since the introduction of virtual reality (VR), technologists have struggled to design products and applications that draw users into digital worlds that are comparable to real-life experiences. As we progress towards the ability to tell stories by offering wholly immersive experiences for the user, we start to imagine what an entire industry devoted to the creation of virtual reality may look like in the near future. In this TEDxTalk, Ana Serrano extracts lessons learned from the explosion of the Internet over the past twenty years, and explains how these will help guide us in the creation of the virtual reality industry for the next twenty years. What can we learn from the way advertising and the public commons have changed online over time? How will this affect the VR world for the future? What risks does it present to the consumer? And how can we rectify it going forward? These are just a few of the thought-provoking questions she tackles during this talk.

Ana Serrano is the Chief Digital Officer of the Canadian Film Centre (CFC), and founder of CFC Media Lab, the world-renowned interactive storytelling institute created in 1997. As educator, producer, and intrapreneur, Serrano has received numerous awards from the digital media, film, and theatre industries in Canada and the U.S. She’s an adjunct professor at OCAD, an Executive Member of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, and frequently speaks at media and film festivals around the world about the digital entertainment industry.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)