The prosocial and cathartic potential of immersive media on eudaimonic entertainment experiences.

Abstract

Recent scholarship in media entertainment supports the potential of meaningful and thought-provoking or eudaimonic narratives to facilitate a host of positive outcomes including elevation, catharsis, and altruism. Although the prosocial impact of such content has been examined in a variety of contexts including TV, films, video games, and social networking sites, researchers have yet to fully understand the influence of immersive storytelling on users' eudaimonic entertainment experiences. Using a 2 (Immersion: two-dimensional video format, 360°video using a virtual reality headset) 3 2 (Nature of content: hedonic, eudaimonic) between-subjects design (N = 163), this study empirically investigates (a) the impacts of eudaimonic content on elevation and catharsis, which subsequently influence enjoyment, appreciation, and altruistic motivations and (b) how the level of immersion bolsters such impacts. Individual trait differences in openness and reflectiveness are accounted for in these relationships. Implications for the impact of immersive technology and meaningful entertainment on narrative responses and prosocial tendency are discussed. Public Policy Relevance StatementThis online experiment found that eudaimonic entertainment content had the potential to elicit elevation among audiences, which in turn impacted enjoyment, appreciation, and altruistic motivations. The results also indicated that immersive technology might facilitate media enjoyment through catharsis.

VR content and its prosocial impact: predictors, moderators, and mediators of media effects. A systematic literature review

“…Finally, in one of the latest studies using 360-degree video that also compares the impact of traditional and immersive media, Chen et al (2022) focus on the capabilities of eudaimonic storytelling to elicit elevation and catharsis as mediators of positive behavioral outcomes such as altruism. Their findings identify elevation as a mediator between thought-provoking content and altruistic motivation.…”

A Study on Immersion and Intention to Pay in AR Broadcasting: Validating and Expanding the Hedonic Motivation System Adoption Mode

“…The impact of joy on immersion and willingness to pay in virtual reality (VR) environments has been an intriguing topic of recent research. Studies have found that joy, as an emotional state, can significantly influence individuals' immersion in VR experiences [202][203][204]. This suggests that joy not only contributes to immersion but also intertwines with the rich emotional experience of VR.…”