2025-07-02 –, Theil C2-4 (22p)
This session explores how immersive experiences can foster connectedness and belonging in an increasingly individualized digital era. We will share insights from our research, engage participants in a fun, interactive activity that embodies togetherness, and collaboratively brainstorm how to design XR applications that enhance collectivity.
Virtual Reality (VR) offers rich, immersive environments but often emphasizes individual experiences, potentially exacerbating loneliness and social fragmentation. Our research explores how VR can be designed to foster collective engagement and social connectedness by prioritizing public values such as inclusivity, empathy, and collaboration. We collaborate with industry professionals in the arts and culture sector, integrate findings into education, and co-create XR products with students.
This session invites participants to share insights, challenges, and ideas on leveraging XR for togetherness. We will present findings from phase one of our research—a literature review identifying key challenges and opportunities in balancing individuality with collectivity. Insights from our collaboration with Another Kind of Blue (AKOB), a dance company pioneering XR performance integration, will also be shared.
To ensure togetherness is explored in the session, we will facilitate an unplugged, low-tech interactive version fostering collaboration and connection without digital tools.
This approach will make collectivity tangible and spark discussion on integrating these principles into XR design. Attendees will brainstorm strategies for fostering belonging in both general and virtual contexts, generating insights that inform future research and XR development.
We will also discuss efforts to translate research insights into educational curricula, including workshops and interdisciplinary projects at Inholland and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. By engaging students and industry partners in co-creating XR experiences, we aim to refine human-centered XR design methodologies.
The session will conclude with a reflection on best practices for developing immersive experiences that cultivate a sense of belonging.
Shant Bayramian is a lecturer, researcher, and audiovisual essayist with a passion for the transformative power of audiovisual and immersive media, including XR and emerging technologies like generative AI. He shares his vision through education and media production, combining academic roles with creative practice. Shant currently serves as Senior Lecturer, Researcher, and Educational Developer at Inholland University of Applied Sciences, focusing on Media and XR Studies. He is also the founder of The Audiovisual Essayist platform and a founding member of the NGO For You Hayasdan, which supports education in Armenia.
Dr. Pawan Bhansing holds a PhD in Strategy and Marketing, with research focused on the tension between artistic and business goals in cultural and creative industries. Currently, he explores the underlying values that shape organizations and entrepreneurs, extending his work to include a third dimension: technological possibilities. His research investigates how this triad—artistic, economic, and technical—interacts to generate societal impact, particularly in practice-based research within the creative sector and its evolving ecosystems.
