Virtuality Index: Philosophical Justification

Abstract

This article provides a philosophical justification for the concept of virtuality index (VR Index). The use of the index method is the novelty of this research and allows us to consider virtual reality from a new methodological perspective. In the study, VR Index is schematized: in the author’s opinion, it acts as a certain generalized relative indicator that serves to characterize changes in such a phenomenon as virtual
reality. The basic components of VR Index are distinguished: immersion, involvement, and interactivity. They can be represented in quantitative and qualitative terms. VR Index can be schematically presented in the following way: VR Index = Im·Inv·Int (where Im – immersion, Inv – involvement, Int – interactivity). For each specific case, the above pattern takes the following form: VR Index = Imm·Invn·Intp (where the coefficients m, n, p > 0). Immersion characterizes the coverage of senses of a person in an artificially created environment. Involvement indicates the rational and the emotional components of a person’s mental sphere. Interactivity, in its turn, determines the user’s interaction with the virtual environment. Each of these components affects the value of VR Index. The author distinguishes two extreme cases: virtual realities with low and high VR Index. Virtual realities with low VR Index involve two main channels of human perception, i.e. vision and hearing, are characterized by minimal user involvement and weak interactivity; the users are well aware of the fact that they are interacting with a simulation of the real world. Virtual realities with high VR Index cover a large number of channels of human perception and have a high level of user involvement and interactivity; for the user, the events of the real and virtual worlds become indistinguishable from each other.

For citation: Elkhova O.I. Virtuality Index: Philosophical Justification. Vestnik Severnogo (Arkticheskogo) federal’nogo universiteta. Ser.: Gumanitarnye i sotsial’nye nauki, 2021, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 99–107. DOI: 10.37482/2687-1505-V106