Virtual Environments as a Medium of Communication and Information Delivery on the Internet

Virtual environments are seen as the next communication metaphor, whether on the desktop or in a distributed fashion—it promises to expand our ability to interact, communicate and deliver information with the surrounding digital world. The multidimensional information character of the Internet fosters the use of virtual environments as a natural interface. The main aim of this thesis is to examine whether virtual environments are effective as a medium of communication and information delivery on the Internet. Existing virtual environments on the Internet were reviewed and then a virtual environment model was created for a financial institution for use on the Internet. This model was analysed and examined together with a textual model through a survey. The results have shown that virtual environments are effective as a medium of communication and information delivery on the Internet, not only in isolation but also in comparison with text-based sites