5. Discussion
Through the comprehensive consideration of variable factors, we found that most elderly individuals accept social VR but still have concerns. We found that elderly participants were concerned about the stability, security, and reliability of the payment system when using the shopping function [
49], and they are particularly sensitive to privacy and property security issues such as information leakage. Secondly, the elderly have long been accustomed to traditional consumption patterns. They believe that physical stores are more credible, and that the urban infrastructure is well-equipped and shopping in physical stores is convenient. In addition, whether the 3D virtual avatar (virtual agent role) can effectively map the users’ actual gestures and facial expressions in real time was raised as a concern.
The elderly participants assessed showed a deep interest in the medical service function. Considering that although the urban structure contains a relatively well-developed medical service system, some shortcomings exist, including time consumption of the patients waiting in line for treatments, or problems with patients returning to the hospital on multiple occasions for treatments, particularly for those with limited physical mobility. The medical service function of social VR can solve these issues and assist the hospital service system. Elderly individuals had fewer concerns in terms of entertainment and chatting functions, which may be related to the experience of using virtual technology, coupled with the limited recreational venues in urban areas. Social VR can however provide users with a large enough space. It was also noteworthy that the elderly’s need to chat is not limited to verbal communication. Social VR can support social behaviors in life activities (such as shopping and entertainment), which is more attractive to the elderly.
From the analysis of the technology acceptance model, SI, PEnjoy, and PE were important indicators that affected the elderly’s acceptance of social VR. We found that for SI, when the individual lacks experience, the social influence on the acceptance of the elderly becomes more important [
50]. The decision of the elderly to use social VR is largely determined by surrounding factors such as family, friends, and doctors. During the questionnaire, it was also found that the elderly were susceptible to the influence of their peers to decide whether to take the questionnaire. As such, a one-to-one questionnaire is more authentic and effective. Additionally, most participants mentioned that strong and close ties were important. If friends around them failed to agree with the use of social VR, then they lacked a willingness to use it. This means that encouraging the elderly to use social VR should consider other social groups, social circles, and whether old acquaintances use the platform. These results are consistent with previous studies [
51] that showed that social influence is an important factor affecting attitudes and behavioral intentions.
PEnjoy: We increased the explanatory power of the model from 76.7% to 79.6% through the addition of PEnjoy dimensions, indicating that the elderly regard enjoyment as an important factor [
52], and that technical staff should consider PEnjoy as an important indicator when developing VR applications [
27,
53].
PE: although the weight of PE was relatively small, it had a significant impact on the user’s attitude of the elderly [
54], which was consistent with Davis et al. [
55] and subsequent research on the acceptance of technology. This shows that activities which are helpful to daily life and hobbies will encourage the use of social VR [
56]. As such, the future social VR service system must be conceived to meet some functional requirements, including ensuring the safety and trust in social VR [
57]. A significant positive correlation was also observed between UA and BI, consistent with previous studies on the technology acceptance model [
54]. Although the participants considered that the current hardware was not light enough and that the database was not abundant, they thought that social VR represented the future trend, and that the technology will improve in the future. They were therefore willing to accept and consider its use in the future.
No significant influence of EE, FC, and UA were observed, which differed to the positive influence of EE and FC on technology acceptance reported in previous studies. We found that EE does not significantly impact on UA, as it may require participants to experience social VR in person to accurately explain its difficulty of use. Secondly, most participants believed that if social VR was useful to them, they would try to learn how to use it. Moreover, the vast majority of elderly individuals have experience in technology products and social applications, so the focus on usability does not represent a decisive factor when selecting social VR. In addition, King et al. found that in the technology acceptance model, usability was less predictive of use intention than usefulness [
58]. Further studies are now required to investigate whether EE can affect the use attitude of the elderly.
FC also had no significant effect on the acceptance of the elderly, which is consistent with the results of Pal et al. [
59] and Hoque et al. [
60]. This may be because social VR represents a relatively new method of socializing, and it is not widely used at present. Participants are therefore still unable to realize the convenience of resources such as a fast internet connection, and the assistance from relatives and friends on the impact on the use of social VR. The elderly also rely less on technology in daily life [
61].
Feedback from participants of elderly people is described below.
The correlation factor analysis and suggestions are made in the results of the UTAUT Model demand structure questionnaire and the synchronous interview, and the data showed that the application of entertainment and medical needs in social VR content was helpful to social interaction. Moreover, the degree of closeness of social relations and the distance of places also affects the state of social participation (β = 0.77, p = 0.000 < 0.05).
This study further points out that in the future, social VR can support the social behavior training essential in the activities of the elderly through entertainment, even the improvement schemes of rehabilitation. And the service of social VR can extend to the possibility of remote rehabilitation and treatment, such as tele-rehabilitation visits through social VR, or combination with the needs of shopping and entertainment, and to a certain extent, increasing the motivation interest of the elderly in rehabilitation and socializing. And it can also slow down the cognitive deterioration of the elderly, because these behaviors and activities can unremittingly stimulate the judgment and life management ability of the elderly.
In the application of social VR, nostalgic therapy can be implemented as well; the visual and interactive action and other sensory familiarity are prone to stimulate the elderly’s rich associations and memories, thereby enhancing the social will, which is beneficial to the physical and mental health of the elderly with or without cognitive impairment. Moreover, it can give full play to the social VR scene’s plasticity.
In addition, more elderly say that physical behaviors tend to be inept, but in social VR, somatosensory sports can be included in social activities, because the status of social VR changes, the elderly can even engage in more activities that are favored by young people, such as rock climbing or canoeing. For them, these activities cannot be achieved in real life, but while experiencing social VR, it can be accessible despite their physiological deterioration, and thus indirectly promote the social interaction between the elderly and different age groups.
Some findings mentioned above suggest that the elderly’s expectation of social VR is to reduce social disorders they experience out of mental or physical decline. These social disorders concern the lower frequency of participation due to physical inactivity, the less likelihood of outdoor activities due to social isolation caused by distance, or less chances that they will participate in the community due to physical diseases or cognitive decline. As described in the paper, social VR can help the elderly master these abilities by linking different functions, reduce social barriers caused by external factors, and at the same time help them socialize in a positive way. To some extent, social VR will help improve social isolation and loneliness among the elderly, and simultaneously alleviate their problems caused by cognitive impairment or physical inconveniences.
The contribution of this study is to identify the issues and service structures that may be emphasized in the use of social VR in the elderly population over the next 10–15 years. Such products are not yet available at this stage, and most of them are designed for younger populations. Therefore, the discussion combining social VR in the elderly population is more innovative and distinctive. And in the social VR used by the elderly, medical services and social entertainment is a representative service structure. Based on this, the design interface under this demand and the service type on the social VR have become the focus of discussion, and the purpose of this paper is mainly to provide guidance on this information, so that further researchers can continue to develop and conduct social VR application.
6. Research Limitations
Some limitations of the study should be noted. Firstly, the participants’ understanding of social VR was affected by existing VR technology, and they had not used social VR for a prolonged time period. Secondly, the majority of the elderly participants were from Taiwan and those based in other geographical locations should be assessed to improve the scope of the study. Thirdly, the subjects were healthy elderly individuals and those with limited physical mobility should also be assessed. Finally, the main contribution of this paper is to point out the trend of virtual social activities of the future elderly. The data showed that the elderly had obvious preference for entertainment (32.4%) and medical treatment (31.3%). There will be an increase in each other’s sensitivity to social VR. However, at this stage, as a preliminary study, or the beginning of study and the current state of use of the elderly, we have not yet launched a large-scale experimental design and system development to be applied to the real experience of the elderly. But as a tentative study, this paper has its own valuable contents, and it is urgent to make the relevant researchers know this message.
Furthermore, in the study of this age range, the elements of medical rehabilitation and entertainment account for a significant proportion and have a relative effect on the data indicators made by this study, but this element is still one of the keys to be explored and guided, and in order to gain a better understanding of the impact conditions brought about by these structures, we also conducted interviews with 114 elderly aged 60–89 who lived in urban areas of Taipei, and the results of these interviews led to evidence responses related to the structure. The content of the interviews will be presented in a qualitative manner, and these will be the discussion orientation of our interviews with the elderly, which are quite relevant and critical to the use of social VR by the elderly. So we’ll put them into future study and future service system development.
In the future, we will focus on the development of social VR in medical and entertainment service. The virtual social interface will be designed with social characteristics according to the preferences and characteristics of the elderly. Hopefully, the elderly can use the language and non-language combined multi-sensory social ways to promote positive social interaction in a relatively comfortable and safe environment, especially interacting with friends and relatives, thus to help solve their social loneliness and isolation. In addition, we can develop teleconference, social games, group recall, and other systems for social VR in the future to alleviate cognitive decline of the elderly.
7. Conclusions
The main purpose of this study is to explore the structure of social VR in the elderly in the metropolitan areas, and to discuss the results of interviews with 114 elderly aged 60–89 who lived in urban areas of Taipei. Based on the feedback of these structures and the interview of the elderly, UTAUT Model was also used to conduct structured questionnaires and make some relevant conclusions and suggestions.
The final results showed that the structural factors in entertainment and medical treatment were relatively significant, which was related to the demands of specific age. But these structures also showed the eagerness of the elderly for social needs. And in the next 10–15 years, these elderly people will be more likely to utilize social VR. The elderly in the study identified the following characteristics’ recommendations for the development of social VR and the contributions of this study.
- (1)
The social VR solves the social constraints and self-esteem issues among the elderly.
As for the elderly, there are many sports that they do not dare to try in the past or cannot participate in because of physiological state constraints, but all of them can be achieved through the social VR. The social VR helps break through physical limits; such outdoor activities as rock climbing, tracing the river, and canoeing can be achieved through virtual environment.
In the past, the elderly tended to be less likely to engage in activities because of physiological states or physical conditions, or because of their self-esteem for fear of troubling others. However, the use of social VR today breaks these limits or eliminates worries and gives them the confidence to participate in different social activities. This finding echoes UTAUT Model’s performance on recreational and medical treatment issues, which represent that entertainment and medical susceptibility to the elderly mainly show in how they overcome their physiological state and self-esteem issues to participate in more recreations.
- (2)
The social VR clears the hindrance of social restriction and interaction caused by spatial distance.
Because of COVID-19, or the lifestyle of the elderly in urban areas, the elderly were forced to cancel the activities for their physical conditions or long distances. For example, their friends lived too far away, or it was inconvenient for them to travel to the place where the activities are held. Even the lack of face-to-face interaction with others as a result of the epidemic can lead to social alienation and estrangement. However, the application of social VR can solve this problem and construct a social interaction state in another virtual space environment, and such an application can also remove the elderly’s problem of space and distance barrier.
This finding was also related to the closeness of the UTAUT Model in social relationships, and such factors may also affect the influence index of the elderly on Perceived Enjoyment, indicating that besides the intimacy of social friends, the influence factor of distance is also one of the opportunities for social VR to develop and highlight its edge. For such, social VR services are indeed an opportunity to address this gap.
- (3)
The social VR needs to take into account the relationship between different needs and properly arrange the social context and interface design.
In different demands, plenty of related factors are highlighted in social VR. In respect of the life situation and interface design, it needs to be configured in accordance with the conditions required in these states, such as the relevance between medical structure and entertainment structure. How to arrange in the specific situation and shown in the interface design, and present proper scheme design, and in the interface information and operation? How to help the elderly quickly find the appropriate operation plan and the corresponding use state? All of these have become the focus of not only social situation designed by the social VR for the elderly but also the interface design.
- (4)
In the future hardware interface design, more consideration should be given to social VR in its convenience the possibility of service needs.
The social VR still uses HMD as carrier and tool at this stage, but in the future, different hardware design and software collocation will become possible to create new state service, like the fitting combination of scarf and hat. It may become the hardware modeling of future social VR, and in the future service, these need to be comfortable and sensitive enough for the elderly given their degraded and weakened sensory. And how social VR designs according to their physiological perception needs will become one of the key factors to decide whether the product can be accepted by the elderly.
- (5)
The social VR will still require interaction with the physical world to provide diversified services.
In the end, although social VR provides more possibilities in a virtual immersive environment, the link to the real world is still the focus that must be considered. How to achieve and better the link between the virtual and the real world by social VR will be the focus to be considered by the future elderly or the social VR. Whether long-distance virtual medical treatment and rehabilitation can be carried out in an immersive environment, or whether further treatment can be carried out in a home environment or in a nearby hospital. After all, physical medical behavior in some conditions or technology has not been overcome, physical conditions and medical behavior are the inevitable activities, and in addition, social VR will have more possibilities and challenges, and these contents need to be considered to strengthen the services of virtual environment and physical state.