This week commemorates 120 years since the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre, during which white mobs ravaged Black-owned businesses and lives. At SXSW this spring, I encountered that history via a phone-based augmented-reality installation. Standing on a sidewalk in downtown, I observed a hologram of an actor depicting Black journalist Jesse Max Barber recounting the violence as it unfolded. The smoke and terror felt immediate, in a manner that no book or film could express. It reminded me that immersive media, when employed thoughtfully, can transform cold facts into lived experience.

We are understandably cautious of technology. Algorithms feed our outrage; screens dominate our evenings. Critics caution that headsets may draw us into isolation. That danger is genuine.

However, by concentrating solely on the threats, are we overlooking the other aspect of the narrative? Immersive tools can also slice through the noise, decelerate us, and link us to truths that elude us on a flat screen.

Evidence of that power is mounting. Researchers discovered that participants who navigated a 360-degree video mimicking violent intergroup conflict became less inclined to vilify the opposing side and more receptive to compromise. The Messy Truth, a virtual-reality series placing viewers in situations like racial profiling, was showcased at the Conservative Political Action Conference; police officers who experienced being a Black teenager stopped by an officer claimed they perceived the world differently.

These initiatives suggest how immersive media might assist us in regaining attention and rebuilding connections in an era of falsehoods and disunity. When you step into someone else’s perspective, or even something’s viewpoint — a child with ADHD, a farmer in the Himalayas, or a spore in a mycelial network — abstract issues become personal. In an era when climate change is reduced to statistics and racism to slogans, the ability to experience another life for a brief moment can plant the seeds of empathy and action. I’ve been amazed at how frequently these experiences slow me down. They are not adrenaline rushes; they are invitations to pause and listen.

For immersive media to fulfill its potential, we require more than mere experiments. We need institutions, artists, and community organizations to develop with these tools — and to do so with consideration. This is why I co-founded Agog, a philanthropic institute focused on utilizing emerging media to foster empathy and connection, and motivate action. Initiatives like Kinfolk Tech, which employs AR to highlight hidden Black and Brown histories in public areas and encourages 91 percent of users to share their findings, and Electric South’s New Dimensions Lab, which supports African creators producing nonfiction XR, illustrate what is achievable. Yet many nonprofits still perceive XR as expensive or challenging to harness. In the meantime, tech giants are advancing rapidly. Meta’s Ray-Ban Display glasses — smart frames with an AI-enhanced screen launching next week — indicate that mainstream spatial computing is imminent. Apple’s new “Liquid Glass” design language, featuring translucent layers and parallax on phones and tablets, prepares us for interfaces that exist in three dimensions. If the mission-driven world does not engage in this dialogue, the commercial entities will dictate the terms.

I understand the skepticism. Immersive media can be utilized to manipulate, addict, and surveil. It may lull us into a state of passivity or fuel unhealthy impulses. The solution lies in intention. We must inquire: Does this experience reconnect us to reality or supplant it? Does it nurture empathy, or does it sensationalize suffering? Does it open new pathways, or does it marginalize individuals? For instance, new functionalities in smart glasses, such as real-time captions for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, or immediate text-to-speech for individuals with visual impairments, can enhance participation. That’s momentum we can leverage.

As the National Center for Civil and Human Rights Museum reopens in Atlanta, featuring the 1906 Race Massacre AR experience this weekend, we face a choice. We can regard immersive technology as merely another entertainment gadget, or we can leverage it to regain attention, convey truth, decelerate, and cultivate connections across divides. I remain astonished at the possibilities. With curiosity and care, we can ensure that immersive media does not lead us into a dystopia but aids us in conceiving and constructing a better reality.

Chip Giller, in collaboration with Wendy Schmidt, is the co-founder of Agog: The Immersive Media Institute, a philanthropic initiative that empowers individuals to utilize emerging media like virtual and augmented reality to foster human connection, cultivate empathy, and inspire action toward a brighter future for everyone.

This column mirrors the perspectives of the author.