FROM THE 360° PHOTO TO THE METAVERSE: Conceptual and technical evolution of virtual and immersive journalism from Spain

Abstract

Immersive journalism has evolved as technological resources have evolved. The same has happened with the media, journalists, and audiences and their interest in the format. This research focuses on a review of the literature, terminology, and state-of-the-art of immersive journalism between 2015 and 2022 in Spain, which has made it clear that there is robust academic research by Spanish research groups that contrasts with the reduced journalistic production, i.e., there is an asynchrony between technological innovation, professional practice, and academic research. It is noticeable the abandonment of the format as soon as the first moments of innovation passed, without leaving time for the digital literacy of audiences, and meanwhile, researchers in this field in Spain quantified and experimented with the phenomenon, without achieving feedback from the professional field, and therefore, without real impact on the development of the format for the sake of new virtual experiences now increasingly directed towards the metaverse.