Media immersion and acceptance of technologies: Exploring the influence of virtual reality, video, and photo-based presentations using the case of air taxis

• VR offers highest immersion, enhancing emotional decision-making for air taxi use. • No differences in air taxi adoption between photo and video experiences. • Emotional and utilitarian factors crucial for acceptance in VR condition. This research examines the effects of different immersive media formats—virtual reality (VR), video, and photos—on air taxi acceptance, notably concerning immersion’s ability to affect users’ perceptions and decisions. This study applied factors from the UTAUT2 model to explore how these media conditions trigger performance expectancy, effort expectancy, hedonic motivation, social influence, and reliability. The results show significant differences in the quality of immersion, with VR being the best. No differences were found in the intention to use air taxis across media formats. However, in the VR condition, the decision-making process included taking more emotional factors into account. These findings highlight the usefulness of both emotional and utilitarian factors when considering technology acceptance and, therefore, the potential of VR to increase user engagement despite a lack of impact on immediate usage intention. The research recommends further studies on the long-term effects of immersion and individual characteristics influencing the acceptance of technologies.