Hyperpersonal relationships in social virtual reality

Virtual reality (VR) is becoming more commonplace as a place to form and maintain relationships with others. Social VR, or platforms dedicated to social interaction in VR, offers opportunities for novel self-presentation and community building. Employing evidence from the hyperpersonal model, we use a survey with a convenience sample of 131 very active social VR users to test how their closest friendships in VR and in-person vary, revealing closer relationships with partners in VR. Additional hypothesis testing shows successful self-presentation and community belonging both positively relate to outcomes of closeness to others in social VR and enjoyment. We interpret these findings within the constraints of a highly engaged user group and the hyperpersonal model’s emphasis on sustained online interaction. Implications are discussed for relationship building in social VR, the hyperpersonal model in rich mediated contexts, and practical insights for the future of social VR.