Main concepts in immersive journalism

Abstract

In this chapter, the main goal is to thoroughly examine the concepts of immersion and presence as fundamental definitions and phenomena within immersive journalism. This examination will assume a two-pronged approach. First, the authors use a systematic review approach to investigate how immersion and presence have been theoretically contextualised within key immersive journalism research since its beginnings in the early 2010s. Secondly, the authors connect results from their systematic examination to the wider fields of virtual reality and media studies. With this second step, the goal is to argue that the uses of terms such as immersion and presence in immersive journalism draw from rather old traditions. This, the authors suggest, means that after almost a decade of research, the field should be ready to arrive at a wider conceptual consensus about these terms. By adopting this two-pronged approach and by critically reflecting on the assembly of different sources, the goal of this chapter is to go beyond notions and definitions that are all too briefly presented in previous studies. The authors wish to provide an all-encompassing conceptual understanding of immersion and presence in immersive journalism – a conceptual landmark for immersive journalism as an emergent scientific field – which should serve as a solid basis for future immersive media research and practical endeavours.