Anyone who studies or talks about augmented reality and virtual reality technologies will inevitably get asked the question: but how is that augmented/mixed/virtual reality? Isnāt that more AR than VR? How one talks about these technologies is continually evolving. With every application/device that is released a version of this debate gets kicked up again, whether…
In a recent paper published in Information, Communication and Society, I interviewed four artists working with augmented reality (AR) face filters. The article discusses the role of social media platforms like Meta and Snap in the definition of an āactually existing metaverse,ā that is, an alternative vision to the hyper-immersive 3D worlds most associated with…
Labels matter. Naming is both, taming and creating. In turn, the way we talk about virtual and augmented reality is important because it shapes the ways in which we think about these technological experiences, research them, and even experience them. This simple yet profound idea underpinning critical and constructivist approaches to communication studies is at…
In the early stages of an interdisciplinary collaboration that led to a new article analyzing the promotional material for Appleās āfirst spatial computer,” the Apple Vision Pro (AVP), our discussions often returned to the overlapping themes that we saw across a variety of research engaging in questions around āspatiality” and/or “spatial media.” Again and again,…
In late August of 2024, Helsinki Fashion Week (HFW) was held on online, world-building platform VLGE. Still accessible via their Instagram Link Tree, Iāve explored up to 40 different digital fashion exhibitions. When done right, digital technologies can enable users to build alternative and immersive fashion experiences. The following is a review of the digital…
This article was originally published on the Public Understanding of Science Blog and is republished on CAVRN with the permission of the author, Emma Kaylee Graves-Sandriman. You can find the original article here. Many science fiction narratives present cautionary tales of technology, particularly when it comes to extended reality (XR; including virtual, augmented and mixed…
This article is derived from a paper recently published in International Journal of Cultural Studies, titled āGirl-instrument: Posthumanism, producers, and virtual performers in Japanese musicā. For a more detailed account, you can find the full article here. The Hyperreal Virtual Performers: Vocaloids While virtual performers have existed prior to the rise of mixed reality, progressions…
Virtual reality (VR) has been hailed as the “ultimate empathy machine” (TED, 2015), with immersive storytelling demonstrating remarkable capabilities in eliciting empathetic responses. However, the question remains: Can VR truly change opinions and, if so, what mechanisms drive this change? This study investigated the effects of parasocial intergroup contact on empathy and attitudes towards LGBTQ+…
This review was originally published in the International Journal of Communication, Volume 18 (2024), and is republished on CAVRN with the permission of the author, Maxwell Foxman. You can find the original review here. Despite virtual realityās (VR) widespread availability (and lower price) since 2016, much literature surrounding it remains relatively speculative; there is no…
This article is derived from a paper recently published in International Journal of Cultural Policy, titled āInnovating the humanities, reimagining the future: empirical evidence from virtual reality practice in Chinaā. For a more detailed account, you can find the full article here. Despite ongoing conflicts across culture, geopolitics and economics, the challenges faced globally within…
This article is adapted from my research recently published in Postcolonial Theory and Crisis, titled “Post-Humanitarianism and the Crisis of Empathy.” For a more detailed account of my research, see here. This article is also in conversation with two previous pieces published in CAVRN: Exploring āproper distanceā in virtual reality for humanitarian practice and Virtual…