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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.01.08.631803

Memory Inception through Gaze-Contingent Message Exposure: Using Virtual Reality to Study Media Influence

Cho, H. J.·Lim, S.·Saenz, M.·Schmaelzle, R.
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Abstract

The messages we encounter in our environment can shape our knowledge about the world. However, much research on mediadriven influence via messages focuses on population-level effects and aggregate exposure statistics, obscuring how individual and self-determined behaviors affect message intake, processing, and effects. To address this gap, we use virtual reality (VR) to create a controlled messaging environment. Participants navigate a simulated urban street lined with billboard messages while their visual attention is tracked via eye-tracking. We introduce an inception-style manipulation: overlooked billboards are strategically reintroduced, creating additional exposure opportunities. Our results demonstrate that this subtle manipulation - unnoticed by participants - boosts message retention. This study bridges communication theory and psychology, elucidating the blurred line between voluntary and involuntary information intake in the digital age. It also highlights a potential vulnerability in the future metaverse media ecosystem, where undetected information manipulations can influence individual and collective attention and memories.

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Cho, H. J., Lim, S., Saenz, M., Schmaelzle, R.. 2025-01-08. Memory Inception through Gaze-Contingent Message Exposure: Using Virtual Reality to Study Media Influence. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.08.631803

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