Cyberpsychology,Behavior,and Social Networking

With a swipe, click, or delete, people are now able to seek and sustain romance in unprecedented ways. The emerging research shows that cyberintimacy, or the phenomenon of technology-mediated communication between partners and potential romantic interests, significantly impacts the way we form, maintain, and even extinguish romantic relationships. Hence, this scoping review aims to (a) delineate how our use of technology-mediated communication is associated with specific outcomes (e.g., satisfaction and quality) throughout the romantic relationship lifecycle, and (b) identify emerging themes in the research. Adhering to Arksey and O'Mayley's six-step framework methodology, we performed a systematic database search, literature screening, and qualitative synthesis of the findings. Seventy-two studies were selected from a pool of 4,062 articles derived from a systematic search of six academic databases. The findings show that cyberintimacy has a profound impact on outcomes in three crucial stages of the relationship lifecycle—from the way people find and field partners online through the process of initiation; to the means by which partners use technology to perform relationship maintenance; and finally, the ways in which people cope with the process of dissolution by using technology to reclaim a sense of agency.

The current meta-analysis aims to investigate and clarify existing research on virtual reality (VR) as a medium to elicit empathy. An exhaustive literature search (updated to February 29, 2020) enabled us to locate seven published articles, yielding a total of nine independent samples. The results reveal statistically significant positive changes in perspective-taking outcomes after VR exposure (d₊ = 0.51 [95 percent CI: 0.15–0.88]) but they did not note in empathy (d₊ = 0.21 [95 percent confidence interval, CI: −0.37–0.79]). A potential limitation of this work is the low number of studies included. Implications and directions for theoretical development and empirical research are also discussed.

The high prevalence of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and inefficient preventive measures taken to curb the disease are significant public health concerns. Rapid and innovative advances in digital media offer opportunities for health education, which could result in increased preventive behaviors. This study assessed preventive behaviors against contracting COVID-19 and tested mediation pathways linking four types of digital media consumption (social media, mobile social networking apps [MSNs], online news media, and social live steaming services [SLSSs]) to preventive behaviors, mediated by worry. Results from an online survey (N = 511) revealed that the vast majority (>90 percent) of respondents had very often or always practiced preventive behaviors against contracting COVID-19 such as washing their hands more regularly with soap and water, staying away from crowded places, and wearing face masks out in public. In addition, COVID-19 information seeking through the four types of digital media was a salient parameter that encouraged people to practice preventive behaviors either directly or indirectly. Specifically, seeking COVID-19-related information on MSNs, SLSSs, and online news media was directly associated with preventive behaviors. Whereas COVID-19 information consumption on social media, MSNs, and SLSSs during the infectious disease outbreak could elicit intense worry and, in turn, increase preventive behaviors. The reasons for and implications of the results are discussed.

Immersive storytelling is widely considered to have a great potential to foster empathy toward suffering people, as well as to provide enjoyable experiences able to attract wider audiences. This article examines how the immersive presentation of 360-video nonfiction contents impacts both empathy toward the characters and enjoyment of the experience and the interplay between these two psychological outcomes. Participants watched a series of 360-video stories presented either on a virtual reality headset or a screen, and measures of spatial presence, empathy (in terms of perspective taking and empathic concern), and enjoyment were collected. Mediation analyses and structural equation models showed a direct positive effect of spatial presence on perspective taking and empathic concern, and an indirect negative effect of immersive presentation on empathic concern through enjoyment. These findings indicate that enjoyment of pleasurable aspects of the experience may hinder the affective dimension of empathy toward the characters, and point out to the need to carefully consider the targeted reactions from the audience, since different intended psychological outcomes may not be fully compatible.

The aim of this study was to test how two important types of social cues used by virtual assistants today can affect consumer concerns and persuasion. These two cues are modality (voice-based via smart speaker, voice-based via a smartphone, or text-based on a smartphone screen) and the adoption of a human name rather than no name. An online scenario-based experiment (n = 180) has shown that participants who were exposed to a voice-based recommendation via a smart speaker were the most concerned about security and found text-based recommendations on a screen to be the most persuasive. Participants who were exposed to a virtual assistant with a human name were less concerned about their autonomy and were more strongly persuaded than those exposed to an assistant without a human name.

Identity shift describes how individuals commit to self-presentations made in public computer-mediated contexts. This study attempts to expand identity shift effects to virtual reality. Participants were randomly assigned to present themselves as extraverted or introverted in pilot tested public or private virtual environments. The hypotheses and data analysis strategy were preregistered, and the study had sufficient a priori statistical power. The results did not support identity shift effects. Baseline extraversion predicted postmanipulation extraversion scores, thus suggesting identity stability. The discussion focuses on the empirical consistency of the identity shift effect and avenues for future research.

Research has shown that violent video games induce attentional bias toward aggressive information. However, the effects of prosocial video games on selective attention are poorly understood. This study investigated attentional bias toward prosocial stimuli at different presentation durations (i.e., 100, 500, and 1,250 milliseconds [ms]) after short-term prosocial video game exposure. Sixty males (mean age: 20.26 years; range: 19–23 years) participated in this study. Half of them played a prosocial video game for 30 minutes, whereas others played a neutral one. A spatial cueing paradigm was then used to investigate attentional bias. Results showed that there was both attention orientation and difficulty in attention disengagement toward prosocial stimuli when the presentation lasted 100 ms in the prosocial game group, but not in the neutral group. There was no group difference at 500 or 1,250 ms, suggesting that the attentional bias toward prosocial information might occur at the early stages of cognitive processing. These results provided initial evidence of the influence of prosocial video games on cognitive processing and advanced our understanding of related theories.

This study examined the mediating and moderating roles of positive and honest self-presentations in the relationship between fear of missing out (FoMO) and online social anxiety (OSA). A total of 796 social media users were recruited online. These participants completed a questionnaire package, which included a section on demographic information, the Positive Self-Presentation and Honest Self-Presentation Scales, the FoMO Scale, and the Social Anxiety Scale for Social Media Users. Both positive and honest self-presentations partially mediated the relationship between FoMO and OSA, with the former acting as an accelerative mediating factor. Honest self-presentation had a buffering moderating role between FoMO and OSA. Positive self-presentation showed marginal gender differences on the moderating effect. Positive and honest self-presentations clarified the “double-edged sword” effects on the relationship between FoMO and OSA. Honest self-presentation, rather than positive self-presentation, buffered OSA. Results can be used as reference to develop interventions on self-presentation strategies to relieve OSA.

Test anxiety has been a growing problem in school-aged children, especially for students in East-Asian countries where the pressure for academic achievement is high. These students are more vulnerable to academic stress, which could further lead to anxiety disorders. For this reason, this study examined the feasibility of virtual reality (VR) test anxiety program in managing anxiety in students. A total of 22 typically developing children with varying levels of test anxiety and no history of psychiatric illnesses participated in the study (mean age = 11.6 and standard deviation [SD] = 1.84). A self-reported questionnaire measuring test anxiety, state-trait anxiety, and depression was administered. Heart rate (HR) variability and subjective anxiety were also measured to examine the changes during each of the anxiety-inducing (Exam 1 and Exam 2) and meditation (Med 1 and Med 2) sessions in the program. There was a significant difference in self-perceived anxiety during the program (p < 0.001), as well as a significant main effect of time on the standard deviation of R-R interval (p = 0.002). In addition, a significant relationship between changes in HR and perceived anxiety during Exam 1 (p = 0.003), Med 1 (p < 0.001), and Med 2 (p = 0.011) was found. In conclusion, this work demonstrates the feasibility of the virtual environment to induce different levels of anxiety and explores the potential use of VR program as a viable method to manage the negative emotion in students. This work shows the potential of technology-enhanced tools in addressing psychological problems in school-aged children. Further study is needed to validate the use of the program in clinical practice.