Zooming in to the future: leveraging XR technology to combat attentional fatigue in videoconferencing

Abstract

Videoconferencing has become one of the most used communication tools for people in work and learning. Over time, the limitations of videoconferencing have gradually come to light. Consequently, people have endeavored to leverage new technology, specifically Extended Reality (XR), to mitigate these shortcomings. In this research, we delve into the relationship between the substitution of virtual environments using XR technology and the phenomenon of videoconference fatigue. To investigate this, we recruited 130 university students and divided them into two groups for experimental purposes: one group employing consistent virtual backgrounds and another group using varying virtual backgrounds. The outcomes of a serial mediation analysis conducted utilizing the PROCESS macro not only support all hypotheses but also the serial mediation model tested. Our findings underscore the increasing significance of exploring the ramifications of XR technology on everyday communication practices as XR technology continues to evolve.