Scholarlink

<p>Harassment in social Virtual Reality (VR) poses distinctive risks as embodied and immersive interactions heighten the impact of harmful encounters. We surveyed 215 adult Social VR users on the frequency, perceived harmfulness, and preferred governance responses to verbal, physical, and environmental harassment. Verbal harassment was most frequent and broadly harmful. Physical harassment, though less frequent, elicited the strongest polarization: more users than in other categories rated it either not harmful at all or extremely harmful, highlighting how embodiment magnifies divergent interpretations of harassment. Gender differences emerged not in frequency but in perceived harm and governance preferences, with women consistently rating harassment as more harmful and strongly endorsing all responses. Across responses, bans were most supported, yet participants also expressed strong support for legal action. These results challenge prior online harassment research on both frequency and governance preferences, highlighting how embodiment and identity masking reshape risks and responses in social VR.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Harassment in social virtual reality: frequency, harmfulness, and governance responses

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月19日

查看全文
  • Qijia Chen,
  • Andrea Bellucci,
  • Qunfang Wu,
  • Giulio Jacucci

摘要

Harassment in social Virtual Reality (VR) poses distinctive risks as embodied and immersive interactions heighten the impact of harmful encounters. We surveyed 215 adult Social VR users on the frequency, perceived harmfulness, and preferred governance responses to verbal, physical, and environmental harassment. Verbal harassment was most frequent and broadly harmful. Physical harassment, though less frequent, elicited the strongest polarization: more users than in other categories rated it either not harmful at all or extremely harmful, highlighting how embodiment magnifies divergent interpretations of harassment. Gender differences emerged not in frequency but in perceived harm and governance preferences, with women consistently rating harassment as more harmful and strongly endorsing all responses. Across responses, bans were most supported, yet participants also expressed strong support for legal action. These results challenge prior online harassment research on both frequency and governance preferences, highlighting how embodiment and identity masking reshape risks and responses in social VR.