Social Interaction in Virtual Environments: Key Issues, Common Themes, and a Framework for Research

Abstract

In this chapter, I will give an overview of some central issues in research on shared virtual environments (VEs) including presence, copresence, communication, and small and large group dynamics - across a range of virtual reality (VR) technologies and different conditions under which they are used. I will discuss different studies of the interplay between technological systems and their social implications, and how sociological insights about interaction in the real world can be brought to bear on interaction in VEs. Finally, I will argue that making links between different areas of research can lead to a better understanding of social interaction in VEs.