The Value of Real-time Multisensory Social Interactions in the Virtual-Reality Metaverse: Framework, Empirical Probes, and Research Roadmap

Real-time multisensory social interactions (RMSIs) between people are at the center of the virtual-reality “metaverse,” a new computer-mediated environment in which people act and communicate with each other in real-time via avatars in virtual “worlds” accessed through virtual-reality devices. This research investigates whether RMSIs in the virtual-reality metaverse can generate more value for interactants in terms of interaction outcomes (interaction performance, evaluation, and emotional responses) than those on the 2D internet (e.g., Zoom meetings). The authors present a tentative theoretical framework of how RMSIs in the virtual-reality metaverse versus on the 2D internet affect interaction outcomes through interactants’ intermediate conditions. The results of subsequent extensive empirical probes are in line with several aspects of the framework, but contradict the idea of a general superiority of RMSIs in the virtual-reality metaverse. The authors thus combine theory and empirical insights for developing a refined framework that serves as roadmap for future research.