Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: Welcome to virtual reality -- Presence: What it is, where to find it, how to stay there -- Alone on a mountaintop: How "in here" helps "out there" -- Hedgehog love: Engineering feelings with social presence -- Empathy vs. intimacy: Why good stories need someone else -- What to do and who to do it with: How social VR is reinventing everything from game night to online harassment -- The starry night that wasn't there: Social media, intimacy, and the memory of experience -- Rec room confidential: The anatomy and evolution of VR friendships -- Reach out and touch someone: Haptics, tactile presence, and making VR physical -- XXX-change program: Turning porn back into people -- Where we're going, we don't need headsets: Let's get speculative -- Conclusion: When hindsight is 2020: What life in 2028 might actually look like.

Presents a candid glimpse into virtual technology's likely future and how it may be used to form previously impossible relationships, explore new frontiers of intimacy, and transform human connection.