"Feeling that I was Collaborating with Them:" A 20-year Systematic Literature Review of Social Virtual Reality Leveraging Collaboration (2412.20266v2)

Abstract: As more people meet, interact, and socialize online, Social Virtual Reality (VR) emerges as a promising technology that can bridge the gap between traditional face-to-face and online communication. Compared to traditional screen-based applications, Social VR provides immersive, spatial, and three-dimensional social interactions, making it a promising tool for enhancing collaborations. To map the existing research in this domain, we conducted a 20-year systematic literature review to characterize how Social VR has been employed for collaboration. After screening 2,035 articles, we identified 62 articles that addressed how Social VR has supported collaboration among remote users. Our findings show that Social VR can enhance team collaboration on three key levels: enhancing individual perceptions and experiences within their groups, fostering team dynamics with virtual elements that enable realistic interactions, and employing affordances unique in VR that augment users' spaces. Future research should explore how Social VR can support long-term collaboration, foster trust, enable more diverse and inclusive participation, and move beyond replicating physical-world interactions by leveraging the unique affordances of immersive environments. This review highlights the current practices, challenges, and future research opportunities within CSCW, offering insights for theorizing the impact of Social VR on team collaboration and for designing new applications that effectively support remote collaborations.