A new application is bringing social networks into the virtual world

Given Facebook's momentous acquisition of Oculus Rift, you'd expect them to be the first social network to dabble in virtual reality. However, London-based VR studio Fourthwall has announced Swerve, a new application for the Android operating system that will allow users to view their Twitter feeds in VR.

Due for release later this month, the app features support for smartphone-based head-mounted displays, allowing users to navigate through Twitter in a 3D space. Users are even able to chain searches that are broken down into hashtags and mentions.

The Swerve app shows just how close the world is to embracing virtual reality on a more domestic level. With the recent announcement of an Oculus Rift Consumer Edition the Swerve app is a natural evolution of this next generation technology. The free app only handles the microblogging service for now, but promises to deliver Instagram capabilities in the near future.

No longer is virtual reality confined to the gaming world, its functions are far flung and designers (like Fouthwall) are realising its potential for browsing. For his Masters thesis, Syver Lauritzsen created The Memory Machine, a virtual memory browser (VMB) that allows users to float around and explore glitchy 3D scans of Syver’s memories from the past few months.