Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media, Law & Policy
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media, Law & Policy

Newhouse Professor Wins Facebook Reality Labs Research Grant to Study Impacts of Augmented and Virtual Reality

Friday, September 3, 2021, By Wendy S. Loughlin
Share
Augmented realityfaculty researchgrantNewhouse School of Public Communicationsvirtual reality
Makana Chock headshot

Makana Chock

Makana Chock, David J. Levidow Professor of Communications in the Newhouse School, has been awarded a $75,000 research grant from Facebook Reality Labs to explore the impacts of augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) on bystander privacy.

Chock will work with Se Jung Kim, a doctoral student in Newhouse’s mass communications program. They will focus on two countries with disparate cultural norms—the U.S. and South Korea—to examine the impact of cultural differences on privacy concerns and ultimately inform the design of AR/VR technology.

“This is another example of how many of the leading communications companies in the world are turning to the Newhouse School to better understand some of the challenges we are facing as a society,” says Newhouse Dean Mark J. Lodato.

Chock developed her proposal, “AR/VR recording: Cultural differences in perceptions of bystander privacy,” in response to Facebook’s request for proposals on responsible innovation in AR/VR: “Consider Everyone.”

Chock says the “ubiquitous and covert nature” of AR/VR recording poses the threat of serious privacy violations as bystanders are captured without permission. At the same time, different societies often have different concepts of bystander privacy, and those differences are reflected in the way image recording is regulated.

In the individualist culture of the U.S., recording bystanders in a public space is largely accepted and often protected under the First Amendment. In the collectivist culture of South Korea, where a higher premium is placed on privacy, express permission is required to record individuals. Yet even there, younger adults regularly post images and recordings on social media that may contain bystanders.

Additionally, Chock says bystander privacy issues are especially important when it comes to vulnerable populations like immigrants.

“Over the last few years, immigrants in both the U.S. and South Korea have faced restrictions and increased scrutiny from the government agencies, as well as discrimination and bullying from some members of their communities,” she says. “These factors may heighten concerns about privacy and the potential misuse of immigrants’ personal information or images. It is therefore important to increase awareness among AR/VR users of bystanders’ concerns and the potential for inadvertent harm.”

The three-part study will begin with an online survey conducted in both countries to assess potential differences in bystanders’ privacy perceptions and concerns and identify additional concerns of targeted immigrant groups. The team will then conduct a series of in-depth interviews with a subset of survey participants to provide additional qualitative data about cultural differences in bystander privacy concerns. Finally, they will facilitate a series of focus groups comprised of U.S. and South Korean users in a multi-user social VR environment in order to determine if the cultural differences seen in “real world” public spaces also apply in social VR spaces.

Chock is set to be the founding research director of the Newhouse School’s new XR lab and is co-leader of the Virtual and Immersive Interactions research cluster at Syracuse University.

  • Author

Wendy S. Loughlin

  • Recent
  • Staff Spotlight: Candace Hayden’s Attention to Detail Ensures Events Run Smoothly
    Wednesday, June 29, 2022, By John Boccacino
  • Bernard D. and Louise C. Rostker Share Colorful History With the Creation of the IVMF Dissertation Research Fund; Applications Now Open
    Wednesday, June 29, 2022, By Austin Philleo
  • Photo Gallery: The Orange 5K Crew Crushes It at the 2022 Syracuse Workforce Run
    Wednesday, June 29, 2022, By Jen Maser
  • Fueling Student Success With SummerStart 
    Tuesday, June 28, 2022, By Gabrielle Lake
  • Worried About Market Volatility? Investment Experts Address Concerns and Share Strategies in Recent TIAA Webinar
    Tuesday, June 28, 2022, By News Staff

More In Media, Law & Policy

Newhouse School Announces Winners in 2022 Mirror Awards Competition

At an awards ceremony in New York City June 8, Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications announced the winners in the 2022 Mirror Awards competition for excellence in media industry reporting. Chosen by a group of journalists and…

University to Launch Washington, D.C.-based Center for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship

Syracuse University will soon launch the new Center for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship in Washington, D.C. A joint effort of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, the center will promote…

The Study Council Sponsors CNY Book Study to Promote Equity-Focused School Leadership

An example of the School of Education’s extensive collaboration with regional school districts—as well as its commitment to inclusive, equitable and antiracist education—The Study Council’s 2021-2022 CNY Book Study wrapped up on May 18. This year’s book— “Five Practices for…

College of Law Hosts Inaugural Consortium Summer Residency Program in Partnership With AUC HBCUs

The College of Law held its Inaugural Consortium Summer Residency Program May 16-20. Twenty-one undergraduate students from the Atlanta University Center (AUC) consortium of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), representing Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Spelman College, came…

Maxwell Professor Herrold Awarded Fulbright to Study Grassroots Community Change in Serbia

Increasingly around the world, citizens are tapping local resources and volunteerism to organize social change outside of established norms and institutions. The distinct ways people mobilize and sustain those initiatives are what Catherine Herrold will study with her recently announced…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2022 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.