Communicating Sustainable Consumption and Production in 360° Video

Video

DOI

Research at the intersection of technology and sustainability is increasing across disciplines. Virtual reality is one technology used to address social issues, though less work has explored how immersive environments might impact a viewer’s impression of complex environmental issues like sustainability. SCP in 360°: Sustainable Consumption and Production in 360 Degrees is a series of 360° videos aiming to make sustainable consumption and production understandable and engaging to a wider audience. In this paper, we describe the context and production of these videos, report on the visitor study conducted during the videos’ exhibition, and discuss the specifics of using 360° video for communicating sustainability and the broader implications for other 360° video projects and sustainability-focused interactive media. In contrast to research on empathy in virtual reality, our study suggests that 360° video supports participants in feeling compassion towards the situations viewed and understanding the context and complexity of sustainability solutions.