Bringing People into the Story
How Virtual Reality Journalism Affects the Feeling of Presence
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22010835 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sangwook Lee (0000-0002-3052-6308, School of Advertising Art), Taenyun Kim (0000-0001-7817-5036, Michigan State University), Sungho Kim (0000-0002-7004-3482, Sungkyunkwan University), Sung‐Ho Kim (0000-0001-9088-9840, Sungkyunkwan University), Kwan Min Lee (0000-0001-7582-3253, Nanyang Technological University, corresponding author), Namkee Park (Yonsei University), Hayeon Song (0000-0001-5951-8507, Sungkyunkwan University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-20 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Digital Journalism (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2167-0811 • E-ISSN: 2167-082X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/21670811.2025.2553157 |
| OpenAlex | W4414154935 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 47 |
Virtual reality (VR) journalism can offer immersive experiences, enhancing the audience’s empathy and issue involvement. In the literature, however, the term VR refers to different types of technology, which may obscure the clear effects of VR journalism. Guided by the framework for immersive virtual environment (FIVE), this paper investigated the effects of VR journalism focusing on two different features of VR: device-focused (i.e., head-mounted display (HMD)) and content format-focused (i.e., 360° video) by conducting a 3 (device-focused: HMD, computer, smartphone) X 2 (content-focused: 360° video, fixed view video) between-subjects experiment (N = 171). Results showed that participants in the 360° video condition, compared to those in the fixed video condition, experienced a higher level of social presence, which, in turn, increased their empathic concern toward the characters and led them to be more involved in the videos’ topic. The HMD condition, on the other hand, did not show significant differences in helping participants engage in the characters and the topic, compared to computer and smartphone conditions. Theoretical and practical implications of the different features of VR are discussed
Citizen journalism · Feeling · Journalism · Virtual reality · Media Influence and Health · Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
A Cross-Media Presence Questionnaire
Being There in the Midst of the Story
A Framework for Immersive Virtual Environments (Five)
Perspective Taking
Empathy as a driver of prosocial behaviour
News and the Overloaded Consumer
Immersive Journalism
Building long-term empathy
A Systematic Review of Social Presence
An “Empathy Machine” or a “Just-for-the-Fun-of-It” Machine? Effects of Immersion in Nonfiction 360-Video Stories on Empathy and Enjoyment
Effect of Virtual Reality Perspective-Taking on Related and Unrelated Contexts
The Auxiliary Role of Virtual Reality in Enhancing the Effects of Disaster News on Empathy and Fear
Effects of Immersive Media on Emotion and Memory
Theoretical false positive psychology
The interplay of virtual reality and narrative story in disaster journalism through empathy, transportation, and identification
On Attenuated Interactions, Measurement Error, and Statistical Power
Informing Immersed Citizens
Disrupting the narrative
The Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion
Video Journalism
Voices of the unsung
Effects of immersive storytelling on affective, cognitive, and associative empathy
Experiencing Nature
Empathy machine”
Issue involvement can increase or decrease persuasion by enhancing message-relevant cognitive responses
What Is Digital Journalism? Defining the Practice and Role of the Digital Journalist
Digital Journalism, Social Media Platforms, and Audience Engagement
Framing Persuasive Appeals
The Agenda-Setting Function of Mass Media
Social Empathy
Presence, Explicated
Defining Virtual Reality
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |