Diffusing Social Boundaries through Virtual Bodies: How Mixed Reality Embodied Experiences Can Foster Social Connection.

Paper Title

Diffusing Social Boundaries through Virtual Bodies: How Mixed Reality Embodied Experiences Can Foster Social Connection

Publication Info

• Topic area: Exploring how Mixed Reality (XR) can mediate social norms and foster interpersonal connection through embodied interaction.
• Keywords: Mixed Reality, social connection, embodied interaction, virtual bodies, abstraction, interpersonal touch, body ownership, social norms, asymmetric interaction, intercorporeal design.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Social boundaries and norms often inhibit connections with strangers, and existing XR research focuses more on replicating face-to-face interaction with realistic avatars rather than exploring abstract, non-realistic representations for dissolving social boundaries.
• Significance: Addressing loneliness and fostering meaningful social connections are critical for psychological and societal well-being. XR offers a unique opportunity to reshape embodied interactions and create new social norms.
• Motivation and related work: Prior work has shown that XR can enable novel forms of interaction, such as body-swapping and movement synchrony, but less is known about how abstract and impossible embodiments can mediate social norms and foster connection. This paper builds on theories of embodied cognition, social presence, and intercorporeal design to explore these gaps.

Solution

• Proposed approach: Body RemiXer, an asymmetric XR installation that uses abstract virtual auras, interpersonal touch, synchronized movement, and body-mixing to foster social connection.
• Novelty:
  1. Demonstrates the duality of abstraction in social XR, balancing lowered inhibitions with risks of depersonalization.
  2. Explores the potential and tension of virtual body ownership in fostering connection through body-mixing.
  3. Investigates how mediated interpersonal touch becomes socially permissible in XR.
  4. Introduces the concept of "bifurcated social norms" where participants navigate overlapping physical and virtual social rules.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Participants interact in a collocated XR space with abstract, particle-based avatars.
  • Interaction mechanics include connecting auras, swapping bodies, controlling sound through synchronized movement, and disconnecting by physical distance.
  • The system uses a Microsoft Kinect v2 sensor, HTC Vive headset, and Unity 3D to track and display interactions.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • Abstract avatars highlighted shared humanity but sometimes depersonalized interactions.
  • Body-mixing and particle exchange fostered unity but required strong body ownership to feel meaningful.
  • Real interpersonal touch created intimacy but occasionally disrupted the ethereal aesthetic.
  • Participants experienced "bifurcated social norms," balancing physical and virtual interaction rules.
  • Inclusion of Other in Self (IOS) scores averaged 3.4 (SD=1.76), indicating moderate connection.
• Advantage over baselines:
  • Enabled tactile interactions and body-mixing not typically explored in XR.
  • Fostered connection even among strangers by abstracting identity and lowering social inhibitions.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Observations at an art festival (387 attendees) and a phenomenological in-lab study (22 participants).
  • Mixed methods: thematic analysis of interviews, behavioral observations, and IOS questionnaire.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Limited generalizability due to small sample size and artistic context.
  • Future work could explore telepresence adaptations, refine tactile-visual alignment, and balance abstraction with personalization.

Summary

This paper presents Body RemiXer, an XR installation designed to foster social connection through abstract avatars, body-mixing, and interpersonal touch. The study highlights how abstraction can lower inhibitions but risks depersonalization, while real touch and impossible embodiments can enhance connection when paired with strong body ownership. The findings reveal trade-offs between anonymity and intimacy, real and virtual aesthetics, and physical and virtual norms. These insights provide a foundation for designing XR systems that promote connection in both collocated and telepresent scenarios, with applications in art, therapy, and social VR.