[This commentary from MediaPost argues that while the current discussion of and investment in the technologies of a metaverse may be overly optimistic, they mark an important – and presence-related – change in the relationship between humans and technology. For a primer on the metaverse concept, history and possible future, see the new CNET article “The metaverse is just getting started: Here’s what you need to know.” –Matthew] [Image: Source: CNET] COMMENTARY Don’t Be Too Quick To Dismiss The Metaverse By Gord Hotchkiss, Featured Contributor February 1, 2022 According to my fellow Media Insider Maarten Albarda, the metaverse is just…

[The pandemic has increased the value of the social and spatial presence evoked by religious activities in virtual environments, as reported in this Associated Press story in Japan Today. See the original version for a photo gallery containing eight more images. –Matthew] [Image: Pastor D.J. Soto, the lead pastor of VR Church, delivers a sermon in his home in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on January 23. Credit: AP] Faith in the metaverse: A VR quest for community, fellowship By Luis Andres Henao February 3, 2022 Under quarantine for COVID-19 exposure, Garret Bernal and his family missed a recent Sunday church service. So…

[This story from KBTX describes the use of VR and presence to increase safety for construction workers. See the original story for a 1:06 minute video report as well as Texas A&M Today for more on Namgyun Kim and the three-minute thesis competition he won, a poster presented at the 2021 Associated Schools of Construction Annual International Conference, and articles in Advanced Engineering Informatics and the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. A report from the Texas A&M School of Architecture includes this: “Similar to how a child is more careful to not touch a stove after burning their hand,…

[This first-person report from CNBC suggests that the experience of professional basketball games via social VR is increasingly, if not fully, effective at evoking both spatial and social presence. See the original story for four more images; for more about upcoming games and other events see the Oculus blog. –Matthew] Here’s what it’s like watching an NBA game courtside — in the metaverse By Jabari Young January 15, 2022 Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka popped up from the team bench, and before I knew it, he was blocking my view. Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was close enough for…

[This example and link-filled story from Time describes both the advantages and challenges, for both brands and consumers, of incorporating augmented reality and the presence it evokes into the shopping experience. As always, making the technology simple, easy and intuitive to use is key. See the original story for a second image. –Matthew] [Image: Screenshots of Nike’s AR shopping lens on Snapchat. Credit: Snapchat] Augmented Reality is the Future of Online Shopping By Megan Mccluskey January 28, 2022 When you open up Snapchat’s lens carousel, you’re greeted with a variety of filters that let you do everything from smoothing your…

[Normally I’d post this to the ISPR Presence Community on Facebook, but it’s a particularly vivid example of medium-as-social-actor presence. Note the anthropomorphic language in the Digital Trends report on a routine malfunction of a Roomba vacuum cleaner. Other coverage is similar, including in PennLive where the story begins this way: “A robot vacuum cleaner made a jailbreak and escaped from a British hotel the other day. Evidently fed up with its life of forced servitude, the vacuum broke out of the hotel…” The review of available models at the link at the end of the story below defines “robot…

[This CNN story provides an example-filled update on how virtual reality is being incorporated into education from K-12 to college, and some of the costs, benefits, challenges and limitations involved. See the original story for two more images. –Matthew] [Image: A screenshot of Stanford students participating in a discussion on Zoom while working together collaboratively as avatars in VR.] Forget Zoom school. For some students, class is in session in VR By Rachel Metz, CNN Business January 27, 2022 Jeremy Bailenson has studied virtual reality for decades. But it wasn’t until last year that the Stanford professor felt the technology…