Feeling Present in Virtual Environments

Abstract

AbstractWe compare and contrast different current theoretical accounts of telepresence, including presence as a pretence (a simulation of reality), as pretending (making believe the virtual world is real), as a perceptual illusion (“the illusion of non-mediation”), and as embodied attention to the surrounding (or apparently surrounding) environment. These views are well-accepted in the field, and can be seen as contributing to a virtual travel experience, which is a kind of illusion. When we feel highly present, we believe in the perceived world in which we experience ourselves to be—it is in that moment real to us. Creating that effect is a key part of a convincing digital travel experience. To have that experience, we must be attending to the digital world, feeling as if we are physically surrounded by it. Our imaginations are involved in how we perceive our surroundings, and in how we conceptualise being there.