Digital Proxemics as Measures of Social Interaction in Hybrid XR

Hybrid meetings are the new reality, yet they lack the richness of face-to-face interaction. In shared spaces, virtual or physical, interaction relies on more than words: proximity, non-verbal cues, and subtle movements all shape communication. Proximity captures how close we stand, where we face, and how we move around others. This paper investigates how proxemics in dyad and triad conversations translate across physical and virtual contexts. We conducted a study with 24 participants in four groups, completing social tasks under four conditions: face-to-face, co-located XR, remote XR, and hybrid XR. Our instrumentation of physical and virtual environments enables direct comparison. The work contributes a rich open dataset of 2.3 million rows across 32 columns, supporting comparative and replicable analysis. This is the first study to compare proxemics across face-to-face, co-located XR, remote XR, and hybrid XR, offering a foundation for understanding how social space translates across contexts.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Published
2026-04-13
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1145/3772318.3790512
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Digital Proxemics as Measures of Social Interaction in Hybrid XR

Julie Williamson, Kieran Waugh, Ross Johnstone, Despoina Vasiliki Sampatakou et al.
1 citations
Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
article

Digital Proxemics as Measures of Social Interaction in Hybrid XR

Julie Williamson, Kieran Waugh, Ross Johnstone, Despoina Vasiliki Sampatakou, Iain William McLean
article en
1 citations

Abstract

Hybrid meetings are the new reality, yet they lack the richness of face-to-face interaction. In shared spaces, virtual or physical, interaction relies on more than words: proximity, non-verbal cues, and subtle movements all shape communication. Proximity captures how close we stand, where we face, and how we move around others. This paper investigates how proxemics in dyad and triad conversations translate across physical and virtual contexts. We conducted a study with 24 participants in four groups, completing social tasks under four conditions: face-to-face, co-located XR, remote XR, and hybrid XR. Our instrumentation of physical and virtual environments enables direct comparison. The work contributes a rich open dataset of 2.3 million rows across 32 columns, supporting comparative and replicable analysis. This is the first study to compare proxemics across face-to-face, co-located XR, remote XR, and hybrid XR, offering a foundation for understanding how social space translates across contexts.

University of Glasgow (GB)
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 17%
Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.