On Sunday, at Samsung’s Mobile World Congress, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, promoted the company’s latest project, Oculus, and its Gear VR (virtual reality) headsets as the next step in the evolution of social media.

Facebook bought Oculus in 2014 and has since been working with Samsung to bring VR to the general public. Zuckerberg predicts that “millions” of people will have access to Oculus VR by the end of the year and that the advance in communications will change the way we view the world:

“Pretty soon we’re going to live in a world where everyone has the power to share and experience whole scenes as if you’re just there, right there in person,” Zuckerberg said. “Imagine being able to sit in front of a campfire and hang out with friends anytime you want. Or being able to watch a movie in a private theater with your friends anytime you want. Imagine holding a group meeting or event anywhere in the world that you want. All these things are going to be possible. And that’s why Facebook is investing so much early on in virtual reality. So we can hope to deliver these types of social experiences.”

Facebook has already announced that its VR trial has been successful—users have watched over one million hours of video and more than 200 games and apps are available in the Oculus store. In addition, Facebook has partnered with a number of tech companies and internet providers to help prepare the world for an influx of high-resolution VR videos.

It remains to be seen if Gear VR will forever alter communications, but the ambitions behind Facebook’s project shows a company set on becoming the world’s most reliable and accessible source for mass communication.

Image via Facebook Newsroom.
Sourcing via USA Today.