The popularity of watching movies and videos on handheld devices is rising, yet little attention has been paid to its impact on viewer behaviour. Smartphone spectatorship is characterized by the small handheld screen as well as the viewing environment where various unrelated stimuli can occur, providing possible distractions from viewing. Previous research suggests that screen size, handheld control, and external stimuli can affect viewing experience; however, no prior studies have combined these factors or applied them for the specific case of smartphones. In the present study, we compared smartphone and large-screen viewing of feature films in the presence and absence of external distractors. Using a combination of eye tracking, electrodermal activity measures, self-reports, and recollection accuracy tests, we measured smartphone-accustomed viewers’ attention, arousal, engagement, and comprehension. The results revealed the impact of viewing conditions on eye movements, gaze dispersion, electrodermal activity, self-reports of engagement, as well as comprehension. These findings show that smartphone viewing is more effective when there are no distractions, and smartphone viewers are more likely to be affected by external stimuli. In addition, watching large stationary screens in designated viewing environments increases engagement with a movie.
Through the simultaneous presence of graphically composed and materially existing elements, augmented reality (AR) offers ephemeral digital content that is the result of the momentary and, thus, unrepeatable alignment of a physical body and world and an augmented reality system. Capturing the performative and embodied angles of screen-based augmented reality through a combined film-analytical and cognitive lens, this paper focuses on how interfaces, content, and ARmanipulated bodies serve as apparatus for cinematic composition as well as storytelling and user engagement. Observing interactions with AR filters and backgrounds, we reflect on how users' bodies and expressions that are mirrored on screen are translated into an immersive digital storyworld that exists in the temporal and spatial context of the AR experience and the related technology. AR filters and backgrounds' affective quality, thus, lies in bodily control and in the creative act of choosing and moderating body characteristics, postures, and positions in real-time in relation to the surrounding digitally manipulated or recorded environment. By moderating the representations of bodies and spaces as well as their interplay, AR users actively shape the visual composition of the on-screen space and, thereby, the visual narrative.
Health measures in response to the Covid-19 pandemic have confined millions to their homes and minimized social contacts. During this period, a significant proportion of social activities—including work, education, and recreation—moved to digital media platforms. Among these platforms, social virtual reality (VR) has gained importance offering “alternative” realities in which users can engage with others, participate in cultural and sports events, complete education-related activities, and (mental) health treatments, to name but a few functions. With the increasing popularity of social VR and the expanding range of activities these platforms can host, hitherto-unexplored questions arise regarding social interactions and the representation of virtual bodies. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to outline a potential framework for assessing how avatars that represent various body types and demographic characteristics, such as gender or ethnicity, may impact behaviors and identity. The paper presents a theoretical study that combines social identity theory and theories of intersectionality and applies them to the case of digitally created human-like bodies. By doing this, it illuminates the challenges and benefits virtual reality platforms and digital body representations hold—including remote social interactions due to social isolation and social dynamics based on online personas.
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