7. Influence on social processes

7.1 Social interaction in virtual reality

Virtual reality is a generally isolating technology at the moment, as there is still little multi-user use of the same virtual environment. A recent study by Greenlight Insights shows that 77% of virtual reality headset owners would like to see more social interaction when using virtual reality. Multiplayer games, video communications and discussion platforms are all seen as potential beneficiaries of virtual reality. Most social networks are developing their own virtual reality platforms. These new forms of interaction enable people to build strong social bonds without ever having experienced physical proximity. This dissociation between physical presence in the real world and social presence in virtual spaces in real time is leading us...