ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors explain why virtual reality (VR) is a particularly invigorating technology in the realm of media effects and identify four affordances which are particularly relevant to effects—immersion, imagination, impossibility, and interactivity. They outline the importance of perspective-taking and the potential to induce empathy as crucial in affecting subsequent attitudes, cognitions, and behaviors. They explicate the inimitable experience of VR, such as its ability to accelerate the future, and conclude by pointing out the challenges and exciting opportunities that it offers media effects research.
