Virtual strategic positioning to create social presence: reporting on the use of a telepresence robot

摘要

This qualitative cross-disciplinary research examined to what degree social presence\nwas achieved through the use of a telepresence robot by one of the authors, in her\ncapacity as a keynote speaker at an international research symposium. We explored if\nand how social presence was a factor in her ability to strategically position herself as a\nnotable researcher whilst in ‘telepresence mode’, with the aim of understanding\nwhether one could exercise the same degree of agency in telepresence mode as\ncompared to appearing in person. We were also interested to know how those\nattending the symposium experienced having a tele-present delegate in their midst.\nThe research used an analytic framework based on Hassenzahl’s (2014) ideas of\n“experience design” and his description of the “user experience” and evaluated the\ntele-present person’s ability to strategically position in a virtual environment by\napplying the analytical lens of Positioning Theory (Harré & van Langenhove, 1999).\nFindings indicated it is possible to establish a high degree of social presence whilst in\ntelepresence mode. This relates to both the telepresence robot product and the\nphenomenon of telepresence as experienced by the user and symposium attendees.\nHowever, while the user was able to position herself successfully all indicators were\nthat social competencies also played a significant role in her being able to interact in\ntelepresence mode. Attending international conferences using telepresence robots is\npotentially attractive for economic and time-saving reasons, but little is understood\nabout how delegates experience telepresence and whether conference attendance objectives can be achieved. We demonstrate how social presence is achieved both through the capabilities of the telepresence robot, but also through a combination of\nthe amount of symbolic capital possessed by the user and the user’s social\ncompetencies. This has implications for decision-making in terms of who is likely to\nbe able to successfully operate in tele-present mode at such events.