Machine Heuristic at Work: User Evaluations and Folk Theories of Weather News in ‘Immersive Mixed Reality’ Video

Immersive mixed reality (IMR) technologies are transforming news reporting by enhancing audience engagement and improving the visualization of meteorological phenomena. While these technologies offer benefits for communicating public issues through news media, their complexity may pose challenges to audience understanding and trust in the information presented. This study adopted a mixed-methods approach to investigate how users evaluate news videos produced using IMR techniques compared to the traditional text-based format, and how individual differences in machine heuristics influence evaluations and folk theories. The immersive format is more effective in enhancing users’ sense of novelty and personal relevance. Machine heuristic significantly positively moderates the effect of news format on personal relevance. While a high machine heuristic is associated with positive perceptions and the data-driven nature of technology, low machine heuristic individuals form intuitive theories that emphasize AI involvement. Implications for the use and disclosure of immersive technology in news are discussed.