Effects of virtual reality news on knowledge gain and news attitudes

Abstract

This research examined the effects of virtual reality (VR) news on knowledge gain and news attitudes. This study found that compared to non-VR news, VR news could have a negative impact on knowledge gain, whereas it could have some positive effect on news attitudes. The positive effect on news attitudes was only found with a more experience-related news topic (i.e., travel sites in Rio de Janeiro), but not with a less experience-related news topic (i.e., new surgical procedure for pancreatic cancer). The positive impact of VR on news attitudes was mediated by presence and subsequent enjoyment.