Will Facebook grow into the Global Village?

Facebook's purchase of Oculus for $2 billion is making headlines this week. While most writers in the techsphere are focused on the value of VR as the next gaming platform, Lauren Hockenson at GigaOM looks ahead to the next decade and three ways Facebook might attempt to use the hardware.Facebook as a gaming platformVirtual reality and communication eventsFacebook hardware and the team who developed the RiftHer points provide some context for Zuckerberg's Facebook post on the value of Oculus, including this quote:But this (gaming) is just the start. After games, we're going to make Oculus a platform for many other experiences. Imagine enjoying a courtside seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face — just by putting on goggles in your home.It's easy to pick the points apart. Gaming? Obvious as Sony just announced a VR headset for the Playstation.VR and communication? Any computer, and new smartphones, can offer VR rendering. Second Life and MMORPG's  already offer worlds to explore, though they aren't designed for this hardware just yet.Communication? What can a headset do that Skype can't? Well, except for this:[video:http://vimeo.com/71686981#at=32]But this is a complicated art project, hardly the normal use we'll see from this type of hardware...and we won't bring porn/sex into this (NSFW).Courtside seats? Sports are the domain of the cable industry, who will be slow to give up the one thing keeping them relevant.A hardware team? I guess it makes sense. But this team has focused on a project designed for gaming.I think we need a different view to understand the value Facebook might offer to the world and why Zuckerberg mentions a specialty such as doctors. As part of Wired's Innovation Insights, Sramana Mitra offers Innovation's Next Decade, in which she identifies the next revolution as "human-centric" computing, where the current technology explosion moves past localized structures into world structures. Suddenly digital workers around the world can work on projects that are no longer localized, experts such as doctors can offer their expertise across borders, and experts from a range of fields work together for a more informed product or service.She compares this shift to that of the Renaissance, that the more disciplines available to flesh out a project the greater its chance of success....it is the Renaissance mind that is likely to create the most important companies in technology.Okay, but what does this have to do with Facebook buying Oculus? It's in the numbers:1.3 billion users - 18% of world population.22% increase in users between 2012 and 201348% of Facebook users log on each dayI think it's pretty simple: Zuckerberg wants Facebook/Instagram/WhatsApp to become THE hub of the future. Not just social and communication platforms, but the platform that completes McLuhan's Global Village. VR headsets are only part of the answer.If (As?) Facebook steals functions from Hangouts, Dropbox, Google Docs, LinkedIn and others, they can offer an entire suite of tools leveraging 1.3+ billion individuals around the world. Buying Oculus gives them a next gen technology providing inroads into:MediaPlay games with friends who are already in your profile - no need to build a new list on a different platform.Watch games, movies or shows with friends in real time. Shared media controls anyone?See your child's recital when you can't be there in person. See it from your spouse's perspective (through a feed provided by the school or through something like Google Glass) and speak with audience friends and family as you share the experience.MedicineContact an expert who can help identify symptoms and likely causes before making that expensive and time consuming trip to the city/abroad - you already know which specialists to contact.EmploymentList your expertise, prices and availability. Project leads hire groups of experts to provide insight on various projects in real time.Experts bid on jobs like on Elance.com, opening an entire new world market leveraging friends of friends.CommunicationReal-time translation of text and, eventually, voice.Facial recognition to prove someone's identify - no fakes allowed.I'm sure there are more. Any you would add? Drop them in the comments and I'll add them (include the name/username you want included).Don't doubt the power of users. Facebook is in a unique place in history and growing every day. Consider Facebook's 1.3 billion vs:3 times the population of America + Canada (410 million)3 times the population of South America (384 million)Nearly double the population of Europe (740 million)More than half the number of Christians in the world (2.1 billion)Growing fast enough to catch Islam (1.6 billion)More members than the third largest religion, Hinduism (1 billion)Moving beyond social will allow Facebook to influence the world by providing "human-centric" computing to 1.3+ billion. Sadly, the most important thing they don't currently have is our trust. And that is nearly impossible to buy.