VR technology and humanitarian crisis

Political ideology and the intention to donate in the case of the Syrian refugee crisis

Bibliographic Data

ID6443390
AuthorsPorismita Borah (0000-0002-1140-4233, Washington State University, corresponding author), Bimbisar Irom (0000-0003-0452-834X, Washington State University), Lee Yoon Joo (Washington State University), Danielle Ka Lai Lee (0000-0002-6859-957X, Washington State University), Di Mu (0000-0003-2535-0130, Washington State University), Anastasia Vishnevskaya (0000-0001-7507-0159, Texas Tech University), Eylül Yel (0009-0008-3109-9812, Purdue University, USA), Ron Price (0009-0006-2667-8225, Washington State University)
Year2024
Volume27
Issue8
Pages4970-4994
Publication date2024-04-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNew Media & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1461-4448 • E-ISSN: 1461-7315
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/14614448241247209
OpenAlexW4395038754
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited89

Scholars have studied the role of technology in humanitarian crises and have noted an increase in positive attitudes and behavior. Of interest to us is Virtual Reality (VR). We set out to understand the role of VR technology and its relationships with empathy, sympathy, and donation intention in case of the Syrian refugee crisis. We conducted two experimental studies to examine these relationships, where participants watched “Clouds Over Sidra” a VR film for the United Nations. The participants in the VR condition watched the documentary using VR, while in the non-VR condition, participants watched the documentary on a computer. Our results indicate a complex picture. It seems that VR technology can increase empathy and sympathy in participants, which can lead to a higher intention to donate. However, when we tested the relationship with political ideology as a moderator, empathy did not hold. In a moderated mediation model, we found that VR technology increased sympathy, which led to higher intention to donate. This relationship was moderated by political ideology, such that self-reported liberals scored high on donation intention in both the VR and non-VR groups. However, among conservatives, participants in the VR condition showed higher intention to donate

Compassion · Donation · Empathy · Ideology · Mediation · Moderation · Political science · Politics · Sympathy · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Law · Media Influence and Health · Psychology · Social Psychology · Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts

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Open DOI