Social relations and spatiality in VR - Making spaces meaningful in VRChat

Rzeszewski, Michal; Evans, Leighton

doi:10.1016/j.emospa.2024.101038

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Social relations and spatiality in VR - Making spaces meaningful in VRChat

Michal Rzeszewski

, Leighton Evans

Emotion, Space and Society, Volume: 53, Start page: 101038

Swansea University Author: Leighton Evans

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Author accepted manuscript document released under the terms of a Creative Commons CC-BY licence using the Swansea University Research Publications Policy (rights retention).
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DOI (Published version): 10.1016/j.emospa.2024.101038

Abstract

Virtual environments of social VR platforms offer a unique space for social interaction. They can be seen as socio-technological assemblages that foster immersion, embodiment, and presence, which come together as a framework that allows VR users to make space meaningful – thus creating places. This...

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Published in:	Emotion, Space and Society
ISSN:	1755-4586
Published:	Elsevier BV 2024
Online Access:	Check full text
URI:	https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67586
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first_indexed	2024-09-05T09:50:10Z
last_indexed	2024-09-05T09:50:10Z
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spelling	v2 67586 2024-09-05 Social relations and spatiality in VR - Making spaces meaningful in VRChat cc05810f3465ddddd6814e131f4e9a79 0000-0002-6875-6301 Leighton Evans Leighton Evans true false 2024-09-05 CACS Virtual environments of social VR platforms offer a unique space for social interaction. They can be seen as socio-technological assemblages that foster immersion, embodiment, and presence, which come together as a framework that allows VR users to make space meaningful – thus creating places. This research aimed to understand how using social VR mediates social practices and the spatial practices of being social, investigating the spatial dynamics and place-making processes within Social VR environments. We conducted participant observation and 15 virtual in-depth interviews in VRChat. Our thematic analysis reveals that mobility and escape mechanisms are critical affordances shaping social spatiality. Additionally, social presence and co-presence are pivotal in establishing a feeling of ‘being there’ and cultivating attachment to virtual locales. Users actively contribute to the emergence of place through their spatial understandings and normative social behaviors. These findings underscore the significance of social interaction in shaping the spatial experience within Social VR. Further research is warranted to explore diverse user experiences and platforms, advancing our understanding of Social VR as a medium for meaningful interaction and place-making. Journal Article Emotion, Space and Society 53 101038 Elsevier BV 1755-4586 Virtual reality; Social media; Space and place; Spatiality; Social interaction 1 11 2024 2024-11-01 10.1016/j.emospa.2024.101038 COLLEGE NANME Culture and Communications School COLLEGE CODE CACS Swansea University Not Required National Science Centre, Poland (2019/33/B/HS4/00057) 2024-10-28T09:54:54.1404113 2024-09-05T10:36:32.9697131 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Culture and Communication - Media, Communications, Journalism and PR Michal Rzeszewski 0000-0002-2170-335x 1 Leighton Evans 0000-0002-6875-6301 2 67586__32733__1c916bf9b3b84d47accffdfbce0c0310.pdf 67586.AAM.pdf 2024-10-28T09:52:54.9437812 Output 339448 application/pdf Accepted Manuscript true Author accepted manuscript document released under the terms of a Creative Commons CC-BY licence using the Swansea University Research Publications Policy (rights retention). true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en
title	Social relations and spatiality in VR - Making spaces meaningful in VRChat
spellingShingle	Social relations and spatiality in VR - Making spaces meaningful in VRChat Leighton Evans
title_short	Social relations and spatiality in VR - Making spaces meaningful in VRChat
title_full	Social relations and spatiality in VR - Making spaces meaningful in VRChat
title_fullStr	Social relations and spatiality in VR - Making spaces meaningful in VRChat
title_full_unstemmed	Social relations and spatiality in VR - Making spaces meaningful in VRChat
title_sort	Social relations and spatiality in VR - Making spaces meaningful in VRChat
author_id_str_mv	cc05810f3465ddddd6814e131f4e9a79
author_id_fullname_str_mv	cc05810f3465ddddd6814e131f4e9a79_***_Leighton Evans
author	Leighton Evans
author2	Michal Rzeszewski Leighton Evans
format	Journal article
container_title	Emotion, Space and Society
container_volume	53
container_start_page	101038
publishDate	2024
institution	Swansea University
issn	1755-4586
doi_str_mv	10.1016/j.emospa.2024.101038
publisher	Elsevier BV
college_str	Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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hierarchy_top_title	Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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department_str	School of Culture and Communication - Media, Communications, Journalism and PR{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Culture and Communication - Media, Communications, Journalism and PR
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description	Virtual environments of social VR platforms offer a unique space for social interaction. They can be seen as socio-technological assemblages that foster immersion, embodiment, and presence, which come together as a framework that allows VR users to make space meaningful – thus creating places. This research aimed to understand how using social VR mediates social practices and the spatial practices of being social, investigating the spatial dynamics and place-making processes within Social VR environments. We conducted participant observation and 15 virtual in-depth interviews in VRChat. Our thematic analysis reveals that mobility and escape mechanisms are critical affordances shaping social spatiality. Additionally, social presence and co-presence are pivotal in establishing a feeling of ‘being there’ and cultivating attachment to virtual locales. Users actively contribute to the emergence of place through their spatial understandings and normative social behaviors. These findings underscore the significance of social interaction in shaping the spatial experience within Social VR. Further research is warranted to explore diverse user experiences and platforms, advancing our understanding of Social VR as a medium for meaningful interaction and place-making.
published_date	2024-11-01T09:54:52Z
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Social relations and spatiality in VR - Making spaces meaningful in VRChat

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