Using Virtual Reality to Cope with Social Isolation During the Pandemic
28 Pages Posted: 14 Feb 2023
Abstract
The COVID-19 outbreak brought a need for practical considerations of using positive technology to address mental health issues induced by social isolation (SI). Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to help people improve their mental states by providing immersive experiences and social opportunities. This study examined perceptions on the VR use to combat SI and its impact on social lives during the pandemic. Survey data analysis revealed that Non-White VR owners had significantly higher beliefs in the potential of VR to address SI compared to White VR owners, even though few purchased VR devices in response to the pandemic. Besides gaming, VR technology was most frequently used to meet new people, to exercise, to attend virtual events, and to escape the pandemic and SI by “visiting” virtual spaces. Considering that lockdown mandates may continue, this study offers useful insights on beliefs and the affordances of VR that could help struggling individuals to battle with social isolation, particularly among the Non-White population. Although this study was inspired by the context of COVID-19 pandemic, the findings may be generalizable to other types of socially compromised ordeals such as imprisonment.
Keywords: virtual reality (VR), virtual environments, social isolation, social VR, social connections, positive technology
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