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1 – 10 of 189Do Yuon Kim, Dooyoung Choi, Namhee Yoon and Ha Kyung Lee
The synchronous interactivity in the metaverse afforded copresence, the feeling of being together with other users. Applying the flow theory, this study examines how copresence…
Abstract
Purpose
The synchronous interactivity in the metaverse afforded copresence, the feeling of being together with other users. Applying the flow theory, this study examines how copresence improves the subjective well-being of users through flow and escapism.
Design/methodology/approach
An online self-administered survey of 212 US adults who are currently using metaverse platforms is conducted. The collected data are analyzed by SPSS 27.0 for descriptive statistics and reliability analysis. AMOS 27.0 is employed for the confirmatory factor analysis. The bootstrapping analysis via the PROCESS Macro is used to analyze the mediating and moderating effects.
Findings
The results find that copresence, flow, and escapism improve the subjective well-being of metaverse users. A serial mediation analysis reveals that the influence of copresence on subjective well-being is mediated by flow and escapism. Additionally, the impact of escapism on subjective well-being is moderated by self-expansion.
Originality/value
The findings contribute to the metaverse literature and the industry by highlighting the role of copresence in improving user experience and subjective well-being.
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Yaoyi Zhou and Ying Hua
The purpose of this paper is to study whether the use of a shared study space played a role in shaping graduate students’ social networks by exploring how the copresence in space…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study whether the use of a shared study space played a role in shaping graduate students’ social networks by exploring how the copresence in space was related to the structure of friendship and advice networks. The authors first proposed two concepts of spatial copresence: measured spatial-temporal copresence and perceived copresence. The authors then examined the role of copresence through a case study of a shared study space occupied by 27 graduate students in the same department.
Design/methodology/approach
Copresence relations were first constructed through a six-month room access history data set and self-reported data to examine whether measured spatial-temporal copresence was consistent with perceived copresence. Friendship and advice network relations were then analyzed with copresence, social media connections, class project collaboration relations and social homophily (nationality, gender, cohort) through quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) and MQAP analysis.
Findings
The authors found that students who used the shared study space more often reported more friendship and advice ties. The perceived copresence and the measured spatial-temporal copresence were highly correlated. Copresence relations, as measured by survey and room access history, were both significantly correlated with advice relation, which was associated with perceived social support.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the debate about whether “space” continues to play significant roles in graduate students’ social networks in the context of flexible learning environments. The results also reveal new directions for research methods in studying spatial proximity in flexible settings.
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A long-standing question is how group perception, which is the perception of a whole group, becomes an exaggerated perception of the individuals who comprise the group. The…
Abstract
Purpose
A long-standing question is how group perception, which is the perception of a whole group, becomes an exaggerated perception of the individuals who comprise the group. The question receives scant attention within computer-mediated communication (CMC), which is increasingly a communication mode for groups and a research tool to study groups. I address this gap by examining bias in group perception when rating copresence, which is the sense of being together, with the group.
Methodology/approach
I model bias as occurring when perceivers differentially weigh ratings of individual group members on a variable while rating the whole group on the same variable. I analyzed how the degree of bias in participants’ ratings of copresence with a status-differentiated group varied by the availability of visual cues during CMC in an experiment. I also examined how the group’s status hierarchy impacted bias.
Findings
Bias increase as the availability of visual cues decreased and ratings of middle status members were weighed more in group perception than ratings of other members.
Research limitations
Middle status was based on possessing inconsistent statuses. Inconsistency, and not status position, may have rendered these members more salient than others.
Social implications
Interventions that target group perception may benefit from targeting the group’s middle status members. Researchers and practitioners can minimize bias in group perception through increasing the availability of visual cues in CMC.
Originality/value
The findings illustrate the underpinnings of copresence with an entire group. This is important because copresence shapes several group processes during CMC.
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Zulfiqar Ali Raza, Aisha Rehman, Faiza Anwar and Naseer Ahmad
This study aims to investigate the effect of the copresence of ferrous (Fe2+) ions and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the activity of an amylase enzyme during the desizing of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the effect of the copresence of ferrous (Fe2+) ions and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the activity of an amylase enzyme during the desizing of greige viscose fabric for potential industrial applications. The removal of starches is an essential step before processing the fabric for dyeing and finishing operations. The authors tend to accomplish it in eco-friendly and sustainable ways.
Design/methodology/approach
The experiments were designed under the Taguchi approach, and the results were analyzed using grey relational analysis to optimize the process. The textile properties of absorbency, reducing sugars, bending length, weight loss, Tegawa rating and tensile strength were assessed using the standard protocols. The control and optimized viscose specimens were investigated for certain surface chemical properties using advanced analytical techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA).
Findings
The results demonstrate that the Fe2+ concentration and process time were the main influencing factors in the amylolytic desizing of viscose fabric. The optimized process conditions were found to be 0.1 mm Fe2+ ions, 3 mm SDS, 80°C, 7 pH and 30 min process time. The copresence of Fe2+ ions and SDS promoted the biodesizing of viscose fabric. The SEM, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, XRD and TGA results demonstrated that the sizing agent has efficiently been removed from the fabric surface.
Practical implications
The amylase desizing of viscose fabric in the presence of certain metal ions and surfactants is a significant subject as the enzyme may face them due to their prevalence in the water systems. This could also support the biodesizing and bioscouring operations to be done in one bath, thus making the textile pretreatment process both economical and environmentally sustainable.
Originality/value
The authors found no report on the biodesizing of viscose fabric in the copresence of Fe2+ ions and the SDS surfactant under statistical multiresponse optimization. The biodesized viscose fabric has been investigated using both conventional and analytical approaches.
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Quan Xiao, Mikko Siponen, Xing Zhang, Fucai Lu, Si-hua Chen and Mingsong Mao
The purpose of this study is to explore the antecedents of consumers’ online review intention in e-commerce platforms from a unique perspective of consumer commitment and platform…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the antecedents of consumers’ online review intention in e-commerce platforms from a unique perspective of consumer commitment and platform design. Meanwhile, for the dual-platform strategy, i.e. providing both the web and mobile platforms simultaneously, which is widely adopted in the industry but lacks theoretical concerns, this study aims to examine the differences that platform design influences consumer commitment, consequently contributing to online review intention, between the web and mobile contexts.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional online survey is employed, and a structural equation model-based approach is utilized to analyze the data collected from both the website-preferred consumers (N = 167) and the mobile app-preferred consumers (N = 247).
Findings
The results indicate that instrumental support design factors and socio-emotional support factors positively influence consumer commitment, which further affect online review intention positively. Furthermore, design factors in different use contexts generate different impacts, and consumer commitment generates a greater effect on online review intention in the mobile than in the web context. Empathy is found to be an important motivator of consumer commitment in both contexts.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, as one of the first attempts to capture the differences in the relationship between platform design on consumer commitment and online review intention in different use contexts within the dual-platform e-commerce, this study provides insights for e-commerce platform managers and designers to promote consumer commitment and online review engagement by prioritizing the platform design.
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Emad Alyedreessy and Ruth Dalton
Contemporary coliving is a rapidly developing housing typology, characterised by high-density private living spaces integrated with various shared, mixed-use amenities. The…
Abstract
Purpose
Contemporary coliving is a rapidly developing housing typology, characterised by high-density private living spaces integrated with various shared, mixed-use amenities. The purpose of this research is to quantitatively examine the spatial configurations of coliving building systems, and the integration of programmatic space labels, to provide insights for architects and researchers into the homogeneity and genotypical patterns embedded within these contexts.
Design/methodology/approach
Coliving buildings of various scales from the United Kingdom and the USA were examined using small graph matching and inequality genotypes. The former was adopted to identify a genotype signature and assess homogeneity levels, whilst the latter provided a comparative analysis of the ranked integration values for space labels within these building systems.
Findings
Although local samples exhibited superior levels of homogeneity compared to the sample population (n = 18), the latter still evinced a marked homogeneity and no statistical difference in building system integration (mean real relative asymmetry (RRA)). Local large-scale samples showed the greatest homogeneity and building system integration of all sample groups, whilst a statistically significant distinction in building system integration was evident between large- and small-scale samples. However, a comparison of space label integration (RRA) across different building scales demonstrated that a potential genotypical pattern exists between small- and large-scale samples.
Originality/value
Through the identification of homogeneity and integration values related to scale and location, this research establishes an empirical, methodological framework for the generalisable spatial analysis of contemporary coliving buildings. Furthermore, genotypical patterns provide insights into space labels that are most likely to encourage copresence and social encounters between residents.
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IpKin Anthony Wong, Xueying (Linda) Lin, Zhiwei (CJ) Lin and Yuxun (Emily) Lin
This study aims to unlock a ritual chain mechanism that promotes socio-mental (or socio-psychological) resilience. This study draws on interaction ritual chains theory and the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to unlock a ritual chain mechanism that promotes socio-mental (or socio-psychological) resilience. This study draws on interaction ritual chains theory and the concept of transformative service to answer the question of how people could be inspired toward an elevated level of group solidarity, emotional energy, morality and, thus, socio-mental resilience.
Design/methodology/approach
This study took a qualitative approach resting upon online reviews and observations from an augmented food festival about hot pot delicacies dedicated to medical workers fighting hard amid the early coronavirus outbreak.
Findings
The results of this study point to four primary ritual outcomes (e.g. emotional energy, group solidarity, symbols of relationships and standards of morality) along with a two-tier micro–macro socio-mental resilience sustainability paradigm.
Research limitations/implications
Empirical findings from this study could help operators to justify their transformative initiatives as means for customers to replenish their depleted physical and mental resources.
Originality/value
This inquiry presents new nuances to interaction ritual chains. This study also extends the transformative role of hospitality services to accentuate a linkage among individuals, communities and the society.
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Sarah M. Flood and Katie R. Genadek
The COVID-19 pandemic spurred major, and possibly enduring, changes in paid work. In this chapter, we explore the continuity and change in several work day dimensions, including…
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic spurred major, and possibly enduring, changes in paid work. In this chapter, we explore the continuity and change in several work day dimensions, including where it is performed, the amount of time spent working, the length of the work day, and who people are with when they work, as well as variation across population subgroups. We use nationally representative data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) to analyze change across the 2019 to 2021 period. While the shift to working primarily at home in 2020 is dramatic and continuing into 2021, working primarily at the workplace remains the modal experience for Americans. We find differences by gender, education, parental status, and age in which workers perform their jobs at home, and we find much more continuity in how much people work and when they work.
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This chapter extends Henri Lefebvre's writings on rhythm to explore how time, space, power and difference articulate themselves in the uneven social relations of intercultural…
Abstract
This chapter extends Henri Lefebvre's writings on rhythm to explore how time, space, power and difference articulate themselves in the uneven social relations of intercultural space. Taking Lefebvre's ‘Seen From the Window’ chapter as a theme, I propose a variation of rhythmanalysis which interrogates the politics of copresence at a dance party in Munich, Germany. Plug in Beats is a participatory party – songs are selected by the crowd through a karaoke-like process. The monthly event was initiated in 2015 when a refugee camp was installed near an arts and cultural center. The party creates a space for dialogue between new migrants and established locals occupying a wide range of social positions. I look at the implications of rhythm for studying intercultural dance through a rhythmanalysis of one party in June 2018. The methodological approach is framed around the embodied multisensory participant observation advocated by Lefebvre; however, the analysis draws on additional ethnographic data from interviews, audio recordings, Shazam (a song identification app) and video footage. I propose a relational rhythmanalysis which engages the historical and geographic power dynamics at work in music, dancing and in the party space. Such an approach, I argue, reveals how participants negotiate and sometimes reconfigure social relations of difference through rhythm itself. While there are limits to the questions that rhythmanalysis allows the researcher to ask and answer, it is a valuable means to engage how power and difference work – and might be more equitably reworked – in migrant-receiving and otherwise heterogeneous spaces.
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