Embodied well-being through two media technologies: Virtual reality and social media

Abstract

How the body is perceived through media is key to many well-being interventions. Researchers have examined the effects of platforms on users’ self-perceptions, including immersive virtual reality, nonimmersive virtual worlds, and social media such as Facebook. In this article, we use several conceptions of levels of embodiment to compare empirical work on the effects of virtual reality and social media as they relate to perceptions and conceptions of the self and body. We encourage social media researchers to utilize research on embodiment in virtual reality to help frame the effects of social media use on well-being. Similarly, researchers in immersive media should consider the opportunities and risks that may arise as embodied experiences become more social. We conclude our discussion with implications for future applications in mental health.

Extended Reality for the Clinical, Affective, and Social Neurosciences

“…A growing body of research is revealing that a user's simulated body can significantly alter perceptions of identity and environment [136][137][138]. As mentioned above, investigations of these altered perceptions aim at enhancing understanding of virtual embodiment in various therapies [139], wellbeing applications [140], and investigations into the ways in which the brain maps the body schema onto a virtual object to create an illusion of ownership. For example, experimental paradigms such as the "body swap" [141] and the "rubber hand" illusions [142] have been developed.…”

Embodiment Empowers Empathy in Virtual Reality

“…Many models of embodiment describe the self as ''an integration of a social or conceptual self along with our physical self.'' 5 In other words, humans understand themselves through both their interactions with others and their interactions with the environment.…”

“…Scientists have found that this sense of self can be manipulated by creating conflicts in visual and tactile cues, creating a ''body illusion.'' 5 These illusions can either arise organically through an issue with a person's sense of embodiment created by their own mind, or they can be created artificially, such as during therapy in an effort to encourage the brain to reassess and update sensory organization to correct the induced conflict, 5 essentially ''rebooting'' a person's embodiment.…”

Human-centric Quality Management of Immersive Multimedia Applications

“…We define well-being as the opposite of cybersickness, with cybersickness being the physical discomfort resulting from use of the immersive system, obstructing the user from accurately performing the task at hand. Note that our definition of wellbeing slightly differs from the one common in literature, as ours focuses on the effects on the user during playback of the immersive experience while the term in literature mostly refers to the long-term effects of repeated exposure to these kinds of experiences [12]. Well-being could be measured by means of questionnaires prior and subsequent to the experiment, in which different aspects of (cyber)sickness such as dizziness, blurred vision, decreased concentration, headache etc.…”