Distraction vs Immersion: Use of 360-format Videos in News Storytelling

The study aims to explore 360-format videos in the genre of news storytelling. 360 format videos are wide spectrum videos providing users with a first-hand experience of the event or situation. It transports the users to a virtual space without changing their location. The first-person experience offers immersion a combination of presence and attention. The presence here deals with emotional factors immersive attention refers to the cognition and information-processing ability of the users. The immersive property has found its place in the news industry as well. However, for news storytelling, the content needs to be immersive in both empathy and attention factors. The study intends to identify whether 360-format videos create attention or distraction in news storytelling where distraction is a measure of loss of attention. The study developed a framework based on the theory of the Limited Capacity model for mediated messages memory retention. The experiment was conducted with a sample of n=30 participants who were shown a 360-format video “Punch with Pakistani Girl” on Oculus Quest and pre and post-tests were administered. The results obtained by descriptive analysis are consistent and showed a varied and low attention level of participants of the study. The research implies that the additional visual information in 360 videos serves as a distraction for users and must be eliminated through techniques of navigation and angular placement.