Applications of Virtual Reality in Communication. A Top-Journals Theoretical Overview

As technology is increasingly used in many domains, the way it effects social sciences becomes of great interest. The aim of the paper is to offer a theoretical overview on the way Virtual Reality (VR) is used in the communication domain in the last decade and within the top-impactful journals. The sample consists of scientific articles from 25 high-status journals within the field. In the endeavor to offer a longitudinal perspective (2010-2020 timeframe), the overview intends to focus on the main thematic patterns, on the most used theories and models, on the methodological design features, and on the technical approaches that guide the VR research in communication. The relevance of the paper is twofold. On one hand, it offers a comprehensive summary on the state-of-the-art existing interests and tools used in VR in communication research. On the other hand, it sets future research perspectives and can serve as a guide for scholars aiming to initiate VR investigations in communication.