What is "being there": An ontology of the immersive experience

Presence, immersion, flow, and transportation describe a similar phenomenological experience—the feeling of being whisked away from one’s immediate surroundings and absorbed in another. Although these constructs have been developed in different research paradigms centered on different forms of media and different technologies, the first study of this dissertation shows that they are also frequently entangled, being alternatingly described as precursors, correlates, sub-processes, or outcomes of one another. Study 2 further synthesizes past literature and suggests that a viable path forward toward developing a more integrative understanding of the immersive experience can be found in considering the processes that these constructs share: interactivity, boundary alteration, and motivation. Building on findings from the review conducted in Study 2, Study 3 begins investigating the interrelationships between boundary alteration and motivation. The findings show initial evidence that proximity, as an indication of one’s boundary alteration, changes the motivational value associated with mediated tasks, influences one’s media choices, and modifies one’s sense of immersion. Finally, this work provides a roadmap for future research to provide a more comprehensive view of the ontology of immersive experience.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Communications and Media

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2023

Author dc:creator

• Chen, Chen

Contributors dc:contributor

• Fisher, Jacob T
• Yao, Mike
• Wise, Kevin
• Hotaling, Jared

• Immersion
• Presence
• Transportation
• Flow
• Systematic Review
• Metaverse

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2023 Chen Chen

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/121363

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F121363