Abstract
Exploring communication dynamics in digital social spaces such as massively multiplayer online games and 2D/3D virtual worlds has been a long standing concern in HCI and CSCW. As online social spaces evolve towards more natural embodied interaction, it is important to explore how non-verbal communication can be supported in more nuanced ways in these spaces and introduce new social interaction consequences. In this paper we especially focus on understanding novel non-verbal communication in social virtual reality (VR). We report findings of two empirical studies. Study 1 collected observational data to explore the types of non-verbal interactions being used naturally in social VR. Study 2 was an interview study (N=30) that investigated people's perceptions of non-verbal communication in social VR as well as the resulting interaction outcomes. This study helps address the limitations in prior literature on non-verbal communication dynamics in online social spaces. Our findings on what makes non-verbal communication in social VR unique and socially desirable extend our current understandings of the role of non-verbal communication in social interaction. We also highlight potential design implications that aim at better supporting non-verbal communication in social VR.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 175 |
Journal | Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction |
Volume | 4 |
Issue number | CSCW2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 14 2020 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Computer Networks and Communications
Keywords
- computer-mediated communication
- non-verbal communication
- online social spaces
- social dynamics
- social virtual reality
- social vr