With the rise of VR adoption and the involvement of the gaming industry in developing content for VR, the topic of social impact takes the stage again: is VR ruining, improving or ignoring our social life?
Facebook took on the challenge to measure the implications of social VR, stating that VR can facilitate social connection for introverts. A statement that falls in line with their acquisition of Oculus VR and hiring Rachel Franklin, former VP/GM for The Sims 4, as Head of Social VR.
However, the study doesn’t mention if the respondents are self-identified as introverts / extroverts or if they’ve fallen into one of these categories, following a reliable psychological test. Another variable is the definition of introversion, as some people confuse it with social anxiety. According to personality theories introverts need to recharge their batteries by solitary activities, reflection on one’s self or spending time with a few closed ones, while extroverts recharge their batteries by spending time with other people, engage in social activities and would rather avoid alone time. Few people are purely one or the other, usually is more of a matter of degree, which can vary during one’s life. Continue Reading...
