Online communication tools are intended to bring people closer together. However, they often fail to sufficiently meet the human need for fulfilling social interactions. What is missing is a sense of social presence, that is, a “sense of being present with another person.” This sense of social presence can be felt during mediated interactions, such as when using web conferencing tools or playing video games.
Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have identified a method for augmenting the sense of social presence in online interactions through the sharing of biosignals. Biosignals such as heart rate can convey a considerable amount of information about one’s state of being. If one is anxious, their heart rate increases; if they are relaxed, their heart rate decreases.
The researchers implemented a real-time biosignal-sharing platform and tested it in online gaming sessions between players who were strangers to one another.
The study participants comprised 20 gamers who played a set of five matches of a soccer game, each time against a new opponent. The five matches were played under different conditions: playing online without any information about the opponent, playing while viewing a live video of the opponent’s face, playing while viewing the heart rate information of the opponent, playing while viewing a live video of the opponent’s face and heart rate information, and playing offline in the same room with the opponent.
The findings revealed that this method of sharing biosignals could augment the sense of social presence. The participants regularly looked at the heart rate information of their opponent during the match, similar to how they often looked at an opponent’s face when it was presented to them. This effect was further amplified when the live video and heart rate information were presented together.
Questionnaires designed to measure the level of perceived social presence were administered to participants. The questionnaires revealed that although the augmentation method could not achieve the same level of reported social presence as when individuals play together in the same room, the combination of bio-information and face video was the closest to this optimal condition.
In a world filled with online meetings where people are converted into square portrait representations of themselves, this study presents a method for augmenting online interactions to make them more meaningful and fulfilling.
