The development of language enabled all of humanity’s progress since language led to communication. If 50,000 years ago I saw someone being eaten by a carnivorous beast, I create a word for it — “Lion” — and tell the rest of the tribe to be mindful of it. The next generation of the tribe is aware of Lions and can build off this knowledge, maybe by making a primitive spear to protect themselves. This sets off a cycle of each generation making advancements by using the collective knowledge of all generations preceding them; all made possible by communication.
What does the internet do? It breaks down barriers to communicate. VR will be an augmentation layer over this democratized access. It won't break down new barriers but it'll make digital conversations more productive. When seen in this light, VR adds to the fundamental fabric that our world was built on; a conductor of great ideas that leads to great advancements. People like to talk about how exponentially fast our society has developed compared to earlier times. I think much of this development has been the result of rapid improvements in communication. Exciting shit.