Animation in immersive environments: expanding theories of authenticity in educational, historical, and political contexts

Abstract

This paper examines and discusses potential factors that may trigger authenticity in animated immersive environments. Our discussion draws upon three forms of authenticity, categorized as objective, constructive or symbolic, and existential authenticity. To explore these ideas, we present three case studies drawn from the authors’ own research deploying immersive media in different contexts (educational, historical, and political). The aim is to interrogate how authenticity is conceived and constructed on three levels – authenticity of narrative, authenticity of environment, and authenticity of action – during the design and production process. We start by defining the concept of authenticity with reference to previous work within the fields of journalism and tourism, and then explore its specification in animated virtual reality through the case study discussion. One important conclusion from our analysis is that authenticity markers are needed to enable users to verify the information presented and trust the educational content.