Announcing the Publication of Volume 16 Issue 4 (December 2024) of AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction (THCI)

[Fiona NAH]

Announcing the Publication of Volume 16 Issue 4 of AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction (THCI)
(http://https://aisel.aisnet.org/thci/<http://https:/aisel.aisnet.org/thci/>)

THCI is ranked "A" in the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) Journal Quality List
(https://abdc.edu.au/research/abdc-journal-list/)

THCI is indexed in SCOPUS

THCI passed the editorial triage of CLARIVATE in its first application (final outcome is pending upon full evaluation)

The December 2024 issue of THCI is a Special Issue on the Metaverse that is brought to you by Special Editor Editors, Fiona Nah, Gert-Jan de Vreede, Lakshmi Goel, Eric Lim, Shu Schiller, and Chee-Wee Tan, with article contributions from Alanah Mitchell, Dawn Owens, Deepak Khazanchi, Sourya Joyee De, Manojit Chattopadhyay, Polina Durneva, Yusi Ma, George Marakas, Miguel Aguirre-Urreta, Aman Kumar, Amit Shankar, Abhishek Behl, and Justin Zuopeng Zhang.

The first paper entitled "Metaverse Research: A 15-year Review and Research Prospectus" by Alanah Mitchell, Dawn Owens, and Deepak Khazanchi presents a narrative review of publications in metaverse in the last 15 years. Their findings cover (i) metaverse platforms and research methodologies used, (ii) immersion, presence, and representation of people/avatars, (iii) metaverse technology capabilities in supporting communication, rendering, interaction, and team process, (iv) behaviors from the perspective of coordination, trust, role clarity, and shared understanding, and (v) outcomes in terms of member support, perceived quality, cultural synchronicity, in-world and out-world artifacts, deception, and intention to immerse in the metaverse. Building on the narrative review, they outline potential opportunities for research in metaverse development, education, gaming, lifestyle, as well as work and job design.

The second paper entitled "Mapping the Evolution of Metaverse Research in Business Domains: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Directions" by Sourya Joyee De and Manojit Chattopadhyay presents a systematic review of the extant literature on the metaverse by addressing three broad research questions on (i) the evolution and present state of metaverse research, (ii) the themes and theoretical underpinnings in metaverse research, and (iii) directions for future research. They derive 11 research themes, highlight relevant theories underlying each of these themes, and pinpoint knowledge gaps within extant literature that warrant further research.

The third paper entitled "Virtual Presence in Immersive Metaverse-enabling Environments: Being There, Being with Another, and Being the Actual Self" by Polina Durneva, Yusi Ma, George Marakas, and Miguel Aguirre-Urreta presents a scoping review of the literature on virtual presence in immersive metaverse environments as well as the factors associated with the three constituent dimensions of presence, namely, self-presence, social presence, and spatial presence. They further identified technological, contextual, and individual factors that influence these dimensions of virtual presence along with design principles to enhance virtual presence in metaverse environments.

The fourth and last paper in this special issue entitled "Stepping into the Metaverse and Unlocking the Power of Interactivity: Examining the Impact of Metaverse Platform Attributes on User Engagement" by Aman Kumar, Amit Shankar, Abhishek Behl, and Justin Zuopeng Zhang employed a mixed-methods approach to examine user engagement in the metaverse. Their findings suggest that homophily, immersiveness, and personalization are associated with user engagement in the metaverse. Furthermore, parasocial interaction partially mediates the relationships between user engagement and its antecedents of control, homophily, immersiveness, and personalization, whereas self-platform connection plays a moderated mediation role by strengthening the mediating effects of parasocial interaction on the relationships between user engagement and two of its antecedents, namely, homophily and immersiveness. The authors illuminate crucial factors affecting user engagement in metaverse platform.

We appreciate the developmental effort of the following reviewers who have made this special issue possible: Dinko Bačić, Chuhan Cao, Fang Cao, Brenda Eschenbrenner, Zhengzhi Guan, Maggie Yi Guo, David Ji, Na Jiang, Caleb Krieger, Quanchen Liu, Tsz-Wai Lui, Teng Ma, Sora Park, Sofia Schöbel, Gerhard Schwabe, Avijit Sengupta, Chuling Song, Fabian Tingelhoff, Weiyu Wang, Nannan Xi, Bojue Xu, Chaofan Yang, Xiao Zeng, Justin Zuopeng Zhang, and Ruilin Zheng.

You can download the papers in this special issue from https://aisel.aisnet.org/thci/vol16/iss4/ or the direct links provided below. You can also download the papers published in THCI by visiting the AIS E-Library (http://aisel.aisnet.org/) or the journal website at http://aisel.aisnet.org/thci/.

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In this issue (Volume 16, Issue 4)

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Paper 1 (Editorial): Editorial for the Special Issue of the Metaverse

Nah, F. F. H., de Vreede, G. J., Goel, L., Lim, E. T. K., Schiller, S., & Tan, C. W. (2024). Editorial for the special issue of the metaverse. AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction, 16(4), pp. 388-395.  DOI: 10.17705/1thci.00211

Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/thci/vol16/iss4/1/

Abstract:

The metaverse is laying the groundwork for more accessible and immersive experiences by blending the physical and virtual worlds into a unified space where people can interact, create, and connect in entirely new ways. It holds the potential to revolutionize how we work, socialize, and learn, which in turn gives rise to unprecedented opportunities for innovation. In this special issue, we present four articles that depict the current state of research in metaverse, the key themes and theoretical underpinnings within this space, as well as emerging directions for future work. This special issue delivers valuable insights for both researchers and practitioners by advancing our understanding of the metaverse and its evolving potential.


Paper 2 (Research Paper): Metaverse Research: A 15-year Review and Research Prospectus

Mitchell, A., Owens, D., & Khazanchi, D. (2024). Metaverse research: A 15-year review and research prospectus. AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction, 16(4), pp. 396-428. DOI: 10.17705/1thci.00212

Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/thci/vol16/iss4/2/

Abstract:

Fifteen years ago, Davis et al. (2009) defined and described the metaverse's capabilities and presented a foundation for research in this environment. Since then, particularly in the past few years, researchers have paid considerable attention to metaverses in both research and practice. This growth in attention suggests it is time to assess what we learned about metaverses and explore future opportunities. Therefore, in this paper, we review what we learned over the past 15 years related to metaverse research and present important possibilities and opportunities for future research. We summarize foundational research findings in relation to the metaverse, people/avatars, metaverse technology capabilities, behaviors, and virtual world outcomes. Additionally, we present research opportunities in metaverse education, development, lifestyle, work and job design, and gaming-all areas where metaverse technology innovation and application have received attention since Davis et al. (2009). The research opportunities that we outline illustrate how the metaverse continues to present rich possibilities and promise for the future.


Paper 3 (Research Paper): Mapping the Evolution of Metaverse Research in Business Domains: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Directions

De, S. J., & Chattopadhyay, M. (2024). Mapping the evolution of metaverse research in business domains: A systematic literature review and future research directions. AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction, 16(4), pp. 429-480. DOI: 10.17705/1thci.00213

Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/thci/vol16/iss4/3/

Abstract:

In an increasingly digital world, the metaverse offers new opportunities and presents novel challenges for business applications. With growing interest in its applications in various business sectors such as tourism, healthcare, education, and marketing due to the rich user experiences it can provide, the metaverse has begun to gather increasing research attention. Yet, to date, research efforts in this area remain sparse. In this paper, we systematically review 151 papers on metaverse and answer three research questions on how metaverse research has evolved, identify the themes and theoretical background in the current metaverse literature, and propose a future agenda for metaverse research. We unveil 11 major themes guiding future business innovations around metaverse and emphasize the need to develop deeper theoretical connections to obtain better insights on metaverse applications. We also uncover various unexplored domains such as privacy implications and adoption of metaverse, technostress caused by increased use of metaverse, metaverse applications in various educational contexts, and the metaverse's effect on student wellbeing. Further, we discuss the future research agenda for metaverse to enable its business potential and managerial impact.


Paper 4 (Research Paper): Virtual Presence in Immersive Metaverse-enabling Environments: Being There, Being with Another, and Being the Actual Self

Durneva, P., Ma, Y., Marakas, G. M., & Aguirre-Urreta, M. I. (2024). Virtual presence in immersive metaverse-enabling environments: Being there, being with another, and being the actual self. AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction, 16(4), pp. 481-516. DOI: 10.17705/1thci.00214

Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/thci/vol16/iss4/4/

Abstract:

Experiencing virtual presence can be associated with various positive outcomes in immersive metaverse-enabling environments. However, we do not adequately understand how to induce virtual presence in such environments, which can hinder users from fully benefiting from their interactions in the metaverse. To address this gap, we conducted a scoping review in which we examined empirical studies that focus on virtual presence in immersive metaverse-enabling environments and identified factors associated with various dimensions of presence (such as spatial presence, social presence, and self-presence). By analyzing relevant studies, we identified the critical factors that influence virtual presence in metaverse environments. In particular, we identified technological, contextual, and individual factors that contribute to the dimensions of virtual presence. We also derived preliminary design principles based on our analysis. Our design principles emphasize the importance of aligning virtual environments with users' physical movements and stance, providing appropriate sensory cues, and enabling user interactions with virtual characters in inducing virtual presence. Overall, this study provides clarity on the factors that affect presence in immersive metaverse-enabling environments and offers insightful guidance for designing and evaluating such environments relative to virtual presence.


Paper 5 (Research Paper): Stepping into the Metaverse and Unlocking the Power of Interactivity: Examining the Impact of Metaverse Platform Attributes on User Engagement

Kumar, A., Shankar, A., Behl, A., & Zhang, J. Z. (2024). Stepping into the metaverse and unlocking the power of interactivity: Examining the impact of metaverse platform attributes on user engagement. AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction, 16(4), pp. 517-542. DOI: 10.17705/1thci.00215

Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/thci/vol16/iss4/5/

Abstract:

In this research, we examine user engagement with the metaverse platform using the stimulus-organism-response theory. We used a mixed-methods approach that involved a qualitative study and a quantitative study to answer several research questions. We found that immersiveness, personalization, and homophily are associated with user engagement in the metaverse. We also found that parasocial interaction meditates the relationships from control, immersiveness, personalization, and homophily to user engagement in the metaverse. Self-platform connection plays a crucial moderating role in the mediating effect of parasocial interaction for immersiveness and homophily. This research contributes to the existing literature on metaverse interactivity and user engagement while offering valuable insights into consumer behavior in virtual environments. This study can help organizations enhance their metaverse platforms to increase user engagement in the metaverse.

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Call for Papers

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THCI is one of the journals in the AIS (Association for Information Systems) e-library at http://aisel.aisnet.org/thci. THCI is a high-quality peer-reviewed international scholarly journal on Human-Computer Interaction. As an AIS journal, THCI is oriented to the Information Systems community, emphasizing HCI/UX applications in business, managerial, organizational, and cultural contexts. However, it is open to all related communities that share intellectual interests in HCI phenomena and issues. The editorial objective is to enhance and communicate knowledge about the interplay among humans, information, technologies, and tasks in order to guide the development and use of human-centered Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and services for individuals, groups, organizations, and communities.

To increase awareness and readership, THCI is made freely available to the public, which is beneficial to the authors and the community. You can find information related to all aspects of THCI at its website (http://aisel.aisnet.org/thci), including how to submit manuscripts for publication consideration. We would like to thank the AIS Council (http://www.aisnet.org/) for its continued support of the journal. And, as always, we are happy to announce that we have published the journal on time for every issue and are building a strong case for a solid impact factor. The quality of THCI is affirmed by its inclusion as an "A" journal in the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) journal quality list.

Topics of interest to THCI include but are not limited to the following:
*   Behavioral, cognitive, motivational, and affective aspects of human and technology interaction
*   User task analysis and modeling; fit between representations and task types
*   Digital documents/genres; human information seeking and web navigation behaviors; human information interaction; information visualization
*   Social media; social computing; virtual communities
*   Behavioral information security and information assurance; privacy and trust in human technology interaction
*   User interface design and evaluation for various applications in business, managerial, organizational, educational, social, cultural, non-work, and other domains
*   Integrated and/or innovative approaches, guidelines, and standards or metrics for human-centered analysis, design, construction, evaluation, and use of interactive devices and information systems
*   Information systems usability engineering; universal usability
*   Impact of interfaces/information technology on people's attitude, behavior, performance, perception, and productivity
*   Implications and consequences of technological change on individuals, groups, society, and socio-technical units
*   Software learning and training issues such as perceptual, cognitive, and motivational aspects of learning
*   Gender and information technology
*   New applications, modalities, and multimedia interaction for the elderly, the young, and special needs populations
*   Issues in HCI education

The language for the journal is English. The audience includes international scholars and practitioners who conduct research on issues related to the objectives of the journal. The publication frequency is quarterly: four issues per year that are published in March, June, September, and December. The AIS Special Interest Group on Human-Computer Interaction (SIGHCI, http://sighci.org/) is the official sponsor of THCI.

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Please check the AIS THCI home page (http://aisel.aisnet.org/thci/) to see what is brewing! If you have an idea for a special issue, please drop us a line.

Sincerely,

Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah, Editor-in-Chief
Gregory D. Moody, Managing Editor
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Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah, Ph.D.
Editor-in-chief, AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction
Professor of Information Systems, Singapore Management University
Email: fionanah at smu.edu.sg<mailto:fionanah at smu.edu.sg>
URL: https://computing.smu.edu.sg/faculty/profile/7861/nah-fiona-fui-hoon
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