Merely new technology, or actually different? : A qualitative study of VR uses and gratifications.

The purpose of this thesis is to present the different needs that can arise before VR use,and gratifications obtained by consumption. This includes finding out what media content users consume in VR, their motivations for why they consume the selectedcontent, how the choice of VR before other medium affects situations or interaction, and they feel after a session in virtual reality. The theories proven to provide a solid basis for answering the research questions are uses and gratifications theory, and medium theory. The collected empirical data is presented and analyzed within the frameworks ofthese theories, which together with previous research on virtual reality and VRheadsets, support the theoretical framework for this thesis. To gain in depth data of consumers motivations and own experiences, five semistructured qualitative interviewswhere conducted. The interviewees where asked various questions about their social and individual differences, gratifications sought and obtained, and their perception of how VR technology affects different situations and interaction. The collected empirical data is then presented and analyzed within the frameworks of uses and gratifications approach and medium theory. Results of the empirical data showed that the mostcommon needs to be satisfied by VR use are those of exersice, entertainment, practice, social interaction, and relaxation. Those needs are gratified by applications for exersice, entertainment applications, games, simulators, and social applications. The interviewees choose VR before other medium or real life activities because VR is more engaging than working out at home and less timeconsuming than leaving the house to exersice at the gym, more engaging and immersive than pc or console gaming for simulation games, and open in the sense of being able to walk up to strangers and socialize with in the virtual world. The study also showed that not only the technology hardware charachteristics, but also the software design found within the virtual environment, affects situations and interactions in a way that is perceived different and better than software found in other medium like social applications on the phone.