The Impact of Gratifications on the Adoption of Immersive Journalism: A Meta-analysis

This paper investigates the role of gratifications in the adoption of immersive journalism and examines how various factors influence audience engagement. This study adhered to the PRISMA guidelines for meta-analysis, analyzing 20 quantitative studies (N = 1,598) retrieved from Web of Science and Scopus between 2017 and 2024. The research quantifies the relationship between uses and gratifications theory and user adoption of immersive journalism, as well as the moderating factors at play. ATLAS.ti 9 facilitated literature screening and coding, while Stata MP 17 computed effect sizes. The findings reveal that gratifications such as emotional involvement, interactivity, and a heightened sense of presence significantly enhance the adoption of immersive journalism. However, these effects are moderate (d = 0.69). The analysis also highlights that audience age, particularly Generation Z, strongly moderates adoption behavior, as younger audiences are more likely to embrace new technology and engage with immersive experiences. However, the complex nature of immersive media poses challenges in information processing, potentially hindering its adoption. This study underscores the need for future research on the evolving role of immersive journalism in media development and its broader implications for communication and storytelling in the digital age.