The Impact and Application of Virtual Museums from the Perspective of Immersive Experience: A Case Study of the Digital Dunhuang Museum in China

In recent years, with advances in technology and the widespread use of the internet, museums are undergoing a transformation towards digitization and intelligence.Emerging digital technologies such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence present new opportunities and challenges for museum development.This study uses the Digital Dunhuang Museum in China as a case study to explore the impact of immersive experiences on audience behavior in virtual museums and offers a novel research perspective.The study applies communication theory and the S-O-R (Stimulus-Organism-Response) model, incorporating a survey of sensory stimulation, scene construction, human-computer interaction, and social interaction in virtual museums.Data was collected through a questionnaire survey involving 160 male and 148 female participants.The survey explored audience behavior and immersive psychological perception in virtual museums, with quantitative analysis used to examine the relationships between these factors and audience experience.The research found that sensory stimulation (weight 0.678), human-computer interaction (weight 0.594), scene construction (weight 0.576), and social interaction (weight 0.589) significantly influence audience psychology, enhancing their engagement with the content conveyed by the Dunhuang Virtual Museum.Specifically, stronger sensory stimulation has a more pronounced effect on visitors' attention and perception of time, indicating that heightened sensory experiences significantly improve immersion in virtual museum visits.The study also highlights the integration of auditory, tactile, and other sensory stimuli to merge external perception systems with internal neural systems, creating more realistic experiences and fostering visual immersion.The application of digital technologies in virtual museums meets the diverse needs of modern audiences and provides concrete theoretical insights and practical experiences for the future digitization transformation of the museum sector.These findings offer new perspectives and methods for the design and optimization of virtual museums, advancing the digital transformation process in the museum industry.