Immersive Media and their Future

Abstract

Drawing on the deeply-engaging characteristics of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), we refer to these three concepts collectively as “immersive media” (IM). IM are often thought of as new concepts, which may hold true in their integrated, holistic forms. However, the technological and psychological aspects of IM have long been explored, both in the media industry and in education. Through an analysis of the evolution of established media (EM), i.e., cinema, TV, radio, and video games, we explore the extent to which past processes in EM development resemble the current trajectory of IM evolution. We infer that with time, IM are likely to join EM and, consequently, they should not be considered solely as a passing trend. An immediate practical implication is that educators should not neglect allocating resources and time to research the potential of IM technology for learning.

Keywords: immersive media (IM), virtual reality (VR), educational technology, media industry