More Immersed or More Manipulated? Users’ Responses to Mobile Tactile Technology Adopted in a Chinese Video Platform

Abstract

Through content analysis of messages posted on Sina Weibo, this paper inspected users’ responses to the mobile tactile technology adopted in iQIYI, a well-known Chinese video platform that specializes in technology development. We identified this technology as a daily-use version of traditional immersive technology and analyzed users’ perception, emotions and attitudes towards the stimulus under the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework. The study found that users could hardly immerse into video content through this technology. Instead, they paid more attention to the platform’s strategic moves. We propose that despite the growing positive attitude towards this technology, the lack of interactivity is a problem that needs to be addressed as immersive technology comes into everyday life. At the same time, users should be more alert to emotional manipulation when multisensory stimuli are provided. This study bridged HMC and everyday life and revealed how so-called immersive technology might be a detriment to actual immersive experience.