Immersive media content may be identified by the presence of Extended Reality (XR) technology, through which users can engage with computer-generated environments as they would with their physical environment. However, immersive media is less frequently understood in terms of the experiences of content creators who are learning and adopting XR. This PhD research foregrounds creatives’ experiences and motivations: it asks why creatives make XR content, overcoming challenges along the way, and how they form and reform their ideas about what and who XR is good for. Research activities are made possible through collaboration with creatives working in Bristol, England between October 2020 and October 2021.
This research will contribute to a PhD in the Department of Anthropology at University College London (UCL), and it is supported by advisors in the School of Communication at the Royal College of Art. The project has been funded by the London Arts and Humanities Partnership, and it has been approved by UCL Research Ethics Committee (18495/001).