Syracuse University SURFACE Dissertations - ALL SURFACE May 2018 Experiential Journalism: Presence, Emotion, and Sharing Behaviors in News Delivered by Virtual Reality, Television, and Internet in Korea and the United States Sung Yoon Ri Syracuse University Follow this and additional works at: https://surface.syr.edu/etd Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Ri, Sung Yoon, "Experiential Journalism: Presence, Emotion, and Sharing Behaviors in News Delivered by Virtual Reality, Television, and Internet in Korea and the United States" (2018). Dissertations - ALL. 871. https://surface.syr.edu/etd/871 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the SURFACE at SURFACE. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations - ALL by an authorized administrator of SURFACE. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT This research has three overarching purposes. First, it aims to test VR’s capability as a news medium compared to TV and Web. Second, it attempts to identify the differences in the responses to VR news, TV news, and Web news between the Korean and the U.S. respondents. Third, it formulates a theoretical model regarding media user’s news information processing across VR, TV, and Web: Model of Interactive News Consumption Across Media (MINCAM). A 2 x 2 x 3 mixed design study was conducted using the between-subjects factors of country (Korea/the U.S.) and story proximity (Seoul, Korea/Syracuse, New York) as well as the within-subjects factors of level of interactivity (Web/TV/VR) and story arousal (Relic/Airport/Gunshot). Outcomes indicated that VR news resulted in higher levels of presence, attention, sharing behaviors, arousal, pleasant activated emotion, perceived effects on self, perceived effects on others, interactivity, and perceived self-relevance than TV news or Web news. Comparisons demonstrated that Korean subjects showed greater affect intensity and memory than the U.S. participants. MINCAM in VR demonstrated that enhanced presence uniquely influenced Pleasant Activated domain of emotion unlike MINCAM in TV or Web. Also, in the case of MINCAM in VR, enhanced level of Pleasant Deactivated domain of affect decreased perceived effects on self while MINCAM in TV or Web didn’t have the significant path. This study finds that VR’s versatile functions that enhance the impact on the viewers can complement TV or Web across the nations. This would be a stepping stone for media scholars to build related theories about VR. Also, this dissertation provides helpful advice to media practitioners. If affordability and availability of VR improve, VR has the potential to be the mainstream news medium. This study provides a ground for the decision making. EXPERIENTIAL JOURNALISM: PRESENCE, EMOTION, AND SHARING BEHAVIORS IN NEWS DELIVERED BY VIRTUAL REALITY, TELEVISION, AND INTERNET IN KOREA AND THE UNITED STATES By Sung Yoon Ri B.A., Psychology, Yonsei University, 2004 M.S., Business Administration, Yonsei University, 2008 DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Mass Communications Syracuse University May 2018 Copyright © Sung Yoon Ri 2018 All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Like a beacon in the dark, my advisor, Dr. T. Makana Chock has always led me to the right direction. Without her devotion and wisdom, I could not have survived from a long and winding road to Ph.D. Dr. Frank Biocca opened my eyes to the sense of presence and the world of psychophysiological measurements. His magnificent M.I.N.D. Lab and Casa Biocca (or Musée Biocca) will always be remembered. Dr. Dennis Kinsey was the sunshine while I was pursuing a doctoral degree. His smiles and encouragements were the most significant assets that S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University could offer to Ph.D. students. Dr. Keren Henderson has enriched my knowledge in the aspect of qualitative research on newsrooms. Our collaboration that resulted in the top paper award in BEA will go on in the United States, Israel, Canada, and South Korea. Dr. Leonard Newman gave me inspiration on how domains of emotion can play a crucial role in my MINCAM (Model of Interactive News Consumption Across Media). His inspiratory “attitude change” class was a real eye-opener to motivate me to delve into the role of attitude in cross-media news research. The oral exam chair Dr. Jay Kyoon Lee was the true mentor to save my soul academically and spiritually. His kindness and dedication will always be unforgettable with my sweet memory of Syracuse. Also, I would like to express my gratitude for all the supports of Sangbeom Kim (my wingman at Bird Library and future Chief Financial Officer of Incheon International Airport Corporation), Walter Byongsok Chon (my best friend and passionate Assistant Professor of Dramaturgy and Theatre Studies at Ithaca College) and Anne Hamilton (founder of Hamilton Dramaturgy and a contributor to my news stimuli), Yeonhee (Johnny) Cho (the talented VR content creator and coauthor of my VR research), Clara Vesterman (my English Conversation Partner who iv developed my dissertation), Yusun Kim (Talented future professor who helped my campus life and experiments), Sejung Kim (the ex-sublet tenant who shared my car as well as our bittersweet emotions and my successor in Team Makana at a new VR lab in Newhouse), Alex Morntountak (my Ph.D. cohort who supported my VR news research enthusiastically), Stephen Wonchul Song (my research mate at M.I.N.D. Lab), Professor Austin Jones (Assistant Professor of Acting at Ithaca College, who dubbed my news stimuli with this magnificent voice), Woosang Hwang and Soyoung Jung (the helpers equipped with kindness and knowledge), Jeung Hyun Kim and Kyung Eun Kim (the ardent participants of my research), and Mr. Wook Young Kwon (the considerable contributor of my VR news research at Korea National Park Service). My parents have supported continuously all of my essential decisions from entering Daewon Foreign High School, majoring in Psychology at Yonsei University, working as a reporter for YTN, and pursuing a doctoral degree in the United States. Especially, I thank my mother Hee- ja Kim for her wisdom as well as her expert education for my baby and my father Chang-hoon Lee for his love and prayers. My versatile and sweet sister Dr. Jeehae Helen Lee, the former professor at College of Education, was always the ardent cheerleader of my journey to the doctoral degree. My parents-in-law and brother-in-law have consistently supported my decisions and helped me to persevere in studying aboard. Dr. Dae Ryun Chang invariably endorsed my dream for Ph.D. in the United States. Last but not least, my wife Young Wan Kim and my daughter Yeonwoo Elizabeth Ri were the pillars of my life. Particularly, my wife’s love and cheerleading via daily teleconference with my baby made me who I am. Ph.D. is not the final destination. It is just the beginning of a new journey to be a better scholar and practitioner in the media industry. I will keep doing my best. v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 CHAPTER 2: THEORY ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 Virtual Reality ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6 Interactivity --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Presence ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 Arousal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 Affect --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 Attention ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Memory ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 15 Perceived Effects on Self and Perceived Effects on Others -------------------------------------------- 17 Sharing Behaviors ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 18 Media Credibility ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 Proximity ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 Korea and the United States -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 Perceived Self-Relevance ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 CHAPTER 3: METHOD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 Design -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 Participants -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 Procedures --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 Stimulus Material ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30 Measured Variables ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 56 Ethics of Research ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 75 vi