Virtuality is often defined solely as that which lacks or is not material reality, and as such, much of the social order that is uniquely engendered within technologically-mediated realities has been inadequately described. This panel attempts to define virtuality on its own terms, instead of as reality-negative, by showcasing four perspectives of social interaction in virtual space. Panelists ...

Mistrust of others may build upon perceptions of the self as vulnerable, consistent with an association of paranoia with perceived lower social rank. Height is a marker of social status and authority. Therefore we tested the effect of manipulating height, as a proxy for social rank, on paranoia. Height was manipulated within an immersive virtual reality simulation. Sixty females who reported pa...

In recent years, the video game market has embraced augmented reality video games, a class of video games that is set to grow as gaming technologies develop. Given the widespread use of video games among children and adolescents, the health implications of augmented reality technology must be closely examined. Augmented reality technology shows a potential for the promotion of healthy behaviors...

Social communication around art and cultural heritage objects occurs mostly on location in the museums between in-group acquaintances. Such discussions are often brief as competing array of displays time constraints propel social arrangement groups visitors forward to next object. Discussions more than not fleeting superficial, rarely expand beyond boundary group. We postulate that interactivit...

of 48, of Dr. Brian McConnell, one of Bristol's best known and respected practitioner5, I He will be sadly missed by his very wide circle of friends and acquaintances, not oflb in the medical profession but in the broader social world beyond it. A personal friendship which was to last for over twenty years began during the v^f in a disused Cornish sea-side boarding house where, as fellow office...

Although different strands of “post-approaches” and “post-theories”, for example, grounded theory and structuration theory, have gained popularity in Information Systems (IS) research they are not without problems. We present critical realism as an alternative philosophical underpinning for IS research. Critical realism starts from an ontology that identifies structures and mechanisms through w...

This essay presents a phenomenological analysis of the functioning of symbols as elements of the life-world with the purpose of demonstrating the interrelationship of individual and society. On the basis of Alfred Schutz’s theory of the life-world, signs and symbols are viewed as mechanisms by means of which the individual can overcome the transcendences posed by time, space, the world of the O...