Written Communication Jul 2025 Open Access

Writing in Virtual Reality: Understanding Invention, Collaboration, and Friction in Hybrid Spaces

Rich Shivener York University ; Elizabeth Caravella York University

Abstract

Writing and digital technologies have always been enmeshed with one another. Currently, the use of virtual reality (VR) systems and applications continues to grow across both professional and popular venues, leading to a number of questions researchers have yet to ask about how we might use these technologies for writing and writing classrooms. Based on a process-focused research approach encompassing headset recordings that captured over a year of various writing tasks in VR, this study reveals some of the ways virtual reality may be used specifically by researchers in writing and communication studies, especially in terms of invention and collaborative practices. Theories of virtual reality animate findings in three areas—invention, collaboration, and friction—and the findings raise questions about researching VR in writing-based classrooms.

Journal
Written Communication
Published
2025-07-01
DOI
10.1177/07410883251328315
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Topics
writing pedagogy collaborative writing
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (3)

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    Computers and Composition

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