Abstract
Virtual Reality (VR) is entering the consumption market and proclaims to enhance the way in which we experience media. On the one hand, research strongly suggests that VR can be used in journalism, education, training, trauma and pain therapy, among many other applications. On the other hand, multinational companies (such as Meta, Google, and Sony) are investing heavily in the commercialisation of VR headsets to create a new social medium, which can have profound negative consequences; like the incident(s) of virtual harassment and assault. VR is perceived as a more interactive and immersive medium than video, capable of simulating real life. However, we do not know to what extent VR can indeed become a useful tool to increase prosocial behavior. Therefore, this research focuses on two aspects of VR: its efficacy in eliciting prosocial behavior, and its acceptance. The first aim is to investigate to what extent VR is capable of making people act more prosocially. A key concept for this analysis is 'empathy'. Empathy is treated as a crucial outcome of experiencing VR, and an important concept to induce prosocial behavior. The second objective aims to identify key factors of the user acceptance of VR, after experiencing prosocial content in VR. This project will offer a deeper understanding of the persuasive nature of VR, while also addressing important ethical concerns associated with the use of VR.
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