Work

Choose your own future: the sociotechnical imaginaries of virtual reality

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Virtual Reality has been heralded variously as the next steppingstone in technological innovation, a utopian ‘empathy-machine’ and a dystopian addictive technology. Using critical discourse analysis, we explore the types of narratives underlying this global attention and the ideological values, beliefs and interests therein. We contribute to the critical marketing literature by demonstrating how an examination of sociotechnical imaginaries reveals the ways in which the market mediates the reception of new technologies and the kinds of worlds these technologies bring about. Through an interactive ‘choose your own adventure’ narrative, we bring these imaginaries into relief and invite readers to navigate alternative potential futures for VR. The data underpinning the narrative highlight the role of marketers and marketing in shaping our social, political and economic reality.

Source: Journal of Marketing Management

DOI: 10.1080/0267257x.2022.2112610

Authors: Chloe Preece, Laryssa Whittaker, Stephanie Janes

Institutions: ESCP Business School, Royal Holloway University of London, King's College London

Language: English

Topic: Cultural Studies and Postmodernism

Subfield: Communication

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: British Academy, Arts and Humanities Research Council

Awards: G4043831856, StoryFutures: Gateway Cluster Partnership for Audiovisual Digital Creativity