Assessing the Impact of Moral Elevation on Altruistic Behavior in the Context of Media Convergence: A Meta-Analysis Grounded in Media Synchronicity Theory and Sense of Community Responsibility

This study investigates the impact of prosocial media exposure through virtual reality on altruistic behavior, drawing upon Social Cognitive Theory. It posits that exposure to prosocial content elicits moral elevation, which in turn fosters altruistic behavioral intentions. The study also examines the moderating effects of media synchronicity characteristics, specifically feedback transmission velocity, reprocessability, and rehearsability, in the relationship between prosocial content exposure and moral elevation. Additionally, the role of perceived community responsibility is explored as a moderator in the relationship between moral elevation and altruistic behavior. To test these hypotheses, data were collected from a Taiwanese sample and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). The findings provide empirical support for the proposed relationships. Specifically, the results indicate that media synchronicity features significantly strengthen the positive effect of prosocial content exposure on moral elevation. Moreover, a heightened sense of community responsibility was found to amplify the effect of moral elevation on altruistic behavior. These findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of how technological affordances and psychological constructs jointly shape prosocial outcomes. Practically, the study offers insights for media designers, educators, and policymakers seeking to leverage immersive media environments to cultivate altruistic and community-oriented behavior. By identifying both media-driven and individual-level moderators, this research advances the design of effective prosocial media interventions in contemporary digital contexts.