Connect With Me. Exploring Influencing Factors in a Human-Technology Relationship Based on Regular Chatbot Use

Companion technologies, such as social robots and conversational chatbots, take increasing responsibility for daily tasks and support our physical and mental health. Especially in the domain of healthcare, where technologies are often applied for long-term use, our experience with and relationship to such technologies become ever more relevant. Based on a 2-week interaction period with a conversational chatbot, our study (N = 58) explores the relationship between humans and technology. In particular, our study focuses on felt social connectedness of participants to the technology, possibly related characteristics of technology and users (e.g., individual tendency to anthropomorphize, individual need to belong), as well as possibly affected outcome variables (e.g., desire to socialize with other humans). The participants filled in short daily and 3 weekly questionnaires. Results showed that interaction duration and intensity positively predicted social connectedness to the chatbot. Thereby, perceiving the chatbot as anthropomorphic mediated the interrelation of interaction intensity and social connectedness to the chatbot. Also, the perceived social presence of the chatbot mediated the relationship between interaction duration as well as interaction intensity and social connectedness to the chatbot. Characteristics of the user did not affect the interrelations of chatbot interaction duration or intensity and perceived anthropomorphism or social presence. Furthermore, we did not find a negative correlation between felt social connectedness of users to the technology and their desire to socialize with other humans. In sum, our findings provide both theoretical and practical contributions. Our study suggests that regular interaction with a technology can foster feelings of social connectedness, implying transferability of dynamics known from interpersonal interaction. Moreover, social connectedness could be supported by technology design that facilitates perceptions of anthropomorphism and social presence. While such means could help to establish an intense relationship between users and technology and long-term engagement, the contexts in which anthropomorphic design is, actually, the means of choice should be carefully reflected. Future research should examine individual and societal consequences to foster responsible technology development in healthcare and beyond.

Presence and Communication in Hybrid Virtual and Augmented Reality Environments

The use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in connected environments is rarely explored but may become a necessary channel of communication in the future. Such environments would allow multiple users to interact, engage, and share multi-dimensional data across devices and between the spectrum of realities. However, communication between the two realities within a hybrid environment is barely understood. We carried out an experiment with 52 participants in 26 pairs, within two environments of 3D cultural artifacts: 1) a Hybrid VR and AR environment (HVAR) and 2) a Shared VR environment (SVR). We explored the differences in perceived spatial presence, copresence, and social presence between the environments and between users. We demonstrated that greater presence is perceived in SVR when compared with HVAR, and greater spatial presence is perceived for VR users. Social presence is perceived greater for AR users, possibly because they have line of sight of their partners within HVAR. We found positive correlations between shared activity time and perceived social presence. While acquainted pairs reported significantly greater presence than unacquainted pairs in SVR, there were no significant differences in perceived presence between them in HVAR.

Sustained Use of Virtual Meeting Platforms for Classes in the Post-Coronavirus Era: The Mediating Effects of Technology Readiness and Social Presence

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, educational institutions were forced to turn to online classes that are either recorded or taught live on virtual meeting platforms. Students could, therefore, attend classes from virtually any location using their mobile devices and Internet access. Despite the prolonged pandemic, little attention has been paid to whether offering courses on a virtual meeting platform is sustainable. This study, therefore, explores the antecedents of students’ intentions regarding the sustained use of virtual meeting platforms for academic courses. We investigated the relationship between technology readiness (TR) and perceived social presence (SP) within a virtual communication setting with course satisfaction and sustained use intention. Data were collected via a survey from 525 college students in South Korea who had attended classes using a virtual meeting platform. Serial mediation analysis revealed a pathway in which SP and course satisfaction in series fully mediate the positive relationship between technology readiness and sustainability. This study discusses the implications in relation to the sustainability of virtual technology-based courses as a replacement of live classroom-based courses from a user perspective. Further research is needed to understand users’ negative experiences of attending courses on virtual meeting platforms.

Meeting of minds: Narratives as a tool to reduce prejudice toward stigmatized group members

This study investigates a mechanism of mediated intergroup contact effects that occurs through experiencing social presence of a stigmatized outgroup character. Conceiving narrative texts as a context for mediated intergroup contact, we experimentally test ( N = 505) the effects of narrative perspective (first vs. third person) and the photograph of the outgroup protagonist (present vs. absent) on perceived social presence of the outgroup character. We further test whether experiencing the outgroup protagonist as socially present affects intergroup outcomes (i.e., perspective-taking, intergroup anxiety, outgroup knowledge, and outgroup attitudes). Findings indicate that first-person narratives are more effective than third-person narratives in inducing social presence of the stigmatized outgroup character; photos, unexpectedly, did not have such an effect. Social presence, in turn, plays a key role in facilitating positive intergroup outcomes from reading online narrative texts. The implications of our findings are discussed.

Does increasing social presence enhance the effectiveness of writing explanations?

Writing explanations has demonstrated to be less effective than providing oral explanations, as writing triggers less amounts of perceived social presence during explaining. In this study, we investigated whether increasing social presence during writing explanations would aid learning. University students (N = 137) read an instructional text about immunology; their subsequent task depended on experimental condition. Students either explained the contents to a fictitious peer orally, wrote their explanations in a text editor, or wrote them in a messenger chat, which was assumed to induce higher levels of social presence. A control group retrieved the material. Surprisingly, we did not obtain any differences in learning outcomes between experimental conditions. Interestingly, explaining was more effortful, enjoyable, and interesting than retrieving. This study shows that solely inducing social presence does not improve learning from writing explanations. More importantly, the findings underscore the importance of cognitive and motivational conditions during learning activities.

E-learning satisfaction and retention: a concurrent perspective of cognitive absorption, perceived social presence and technology acceptance model

Purpose The purpose of this study is to concurrently test the effect of cognitive absorption and perceived social presence on technology acceptance model core variables, e-satisfaction and e-retention among undergraduate students of Northern Malaysian public universities. Design/methodology/approach To empirically test the model, the authors developed quantitative research by collecting data from 730 undergraduate students of public universities in the Northern states of Malaysia. Partial least squares–structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Findings The results of the study reveal that cognitive absorption has a direct significant and positive effect on perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of e-learning platforms and an indirect effect on e-satisfaction and e-retention. Equally, perceived social presence has a direct positive and significant effect on perceived ease of use and an indirect effect on e-satisfaction and e-retention, while e-satisfaction positively and significantly influences electronic retention. However, perceived social presence has an insignificant effect on perceived usefulness. Practical implications The findings of this study provide insights to practitioners, academia and university management, policymakers, designers and marketers on how to use the selected variables to improve the e-learning systems generally, and LearningZone Moodle in particular. Originality/value Several studies have been conducted in the domain of electronic learning; none of them, however, concurrently linked cognitive absorption and perceived social presence with technology acceptance model core factors to predict e-satisfaction and e-retention using LearningZone Moodle. This study helps the research community to fill this gap as the literature lacks a concerted discussion concerning these variables to significantly predict e-satisfaction and e-retention in an online learning context.

Attraction, Social Presence, Sociability, and Booking Intentions: The Moderating Role of Homophily

It is essential for hotel marketers to better understand how human images—found in website photographs—are perceived by customers, and how such perceptions can affect customers’ website experience and behavioral intentions. Given the lack of empirical studies related to the effects of human images and hotel website photographs, this study first assesses the influence of physical and social attraction evaluations—related to human images in hotel website photographs—on perceived social presence, in order to further examine the relationships between social presence, sociability, and booking intentions. Moreover, the moderating effects of background homophily, on the relationships between physical and social attraction and social presence, are also examined. This study, which adopts structural equation modeling and analyzes data collected from a sample of 417 U.S. travelers who have recently booked a hotel room directly through a hotel website, confirms all of the aforementioned relationships.

Effects of Video Discussion Posts on Social Presence and Course Satisfaction

Video is a rich medium that conveys more social cues than text. Use of video in an online discussion forum therefore has the potential to increase social presence in online learning environments. This experimental study compared a group using video for a portion of the required discussion posts to a group using only text in an online undergraduate course. While there was a correlation between perceived social presence and satisfaction with the course, there were no significant differences in perceived social presence or course satisfaction between the two groups. Open‑ended comments revealed a mix of positive and negative reactions to the use of video. This study highlights the need for continuing research on the use of video in online discussion forums to assess the benefits of video relative to its possible negative effect on “anytime, anywhere” flexibility