Virtual bodily privacy in highly immersive virtual environments: A psychological contract perspective

The development of an embodied, next-generation internet based on technological advancements pose new challenges to individuals’ privacy. In contrast to priory studied privacy concerns and risks mainly focusing on information privacy, we argue that virtual bodily privacy becomes salient shaping user interactions in highly immersive virtual environments (HIVE). Based on the psychological contract perspective, we conduct a pilot study with 98 participants manipulating psychological contract breach. Our preliminary results reveal that virtual bodily privacy concerns impact emotions in form of psychological contract violation (PCV). This relationship is influenced by virtual bodily breaches leading to higher levels of PCV for individuals with high bodily privacy concerns. Furthermore, PCV increases perceptions of virtual bodily privacy risks but attenuates trust. We aim to contribute to IS privacy literature by conceptualizing virtual bodily privacy and showing how virtual bodily privacy concerns are a salient antecedent of psychological contracts among HIVE users shaping user perceptions.