Work-in-progress: older adults' experiences with an augmented reality communication system. - In: IMX 2024, (2024), S. 282-387
Given the profound impact of staying socially connected on the well-being of older adults, this study explores the potential of augmented reality (AR) systems to enrich their social lives. A wearable AR communication system prototype was developed and tested in a user study involving N = 16 older adults from Germany. Participants wore an AR headset and engaged in a conversation task with a remote person represented by an avatar. Older adults’ experiences were assessed using think-aloud protocols, qualitative observations, posttest questionnaires, and semi-structured oral interviews. Preliminary findings indicate overall participant satisfaction, with minimal observed difficulties in headset usage and avatar-mediated interpersonal communication. The positive engagement during AR conversations highlights the system’s potential to provide positive communication experiences among older individuals. This work-in-progress paper introduces the developed system prototype and outlines the conducted user study. Further data analyses will provide deeper insights into older adults’ experiences with the system. The results will contribute to refining the prototype and offer valuable insights for the development of AR communication systems tailored to the needs and preferences of older adults.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3639701.3663641
Sex doll specifications versus human body characteristics. - In: Archives of sexual behavior, ISSN 1573-2800, Bd. 53 (2024), 6, S. 2025-2033
Sex dolls have been criticized for reproducing unrealistic expectations about human bodies. Yet precise sex doll measurements are lacking in the literature nor has there been any systematic attempt to determine the extent to which sex dolls exaggerate human characteristics. To address this gap, we compared the specifications of sex dolls marketed in the USA with the characteristics of women and men living in the USA. Specifically, we tested if and to what degree female dolls were slimmer (H1) and male dolls more muscular (H2) than female and male humans, respectively. Furthermore, we tested if and to what degree female dolls’ breasts (H3) and male dolls’ penises (H4) were larger than those of women and men. We also tested if sex dolls’ observed race/ethnicity was more often White than that of the US population (H5). In 2023, we collected the measures of all 757 full-body sex dolls marketed by the US retailer SexyRealSexDolls.com. Body measures from the US population were extracted from scientific literature. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed using R. All hypotheses were fully or partially confirmed, which indicated that sex dolls marketed in the USA are not realistic depictions of the US population but hypergendered (H1, H2), hypersexualized (H3, H4), and racially fetishized (H5). Implications of the lack of realism are discussed.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-024-02871-z
[Rezension von: Waling, Andrea, Exploring the cultural phenomenon of the dick pic]. - In: Zeitschrift für Sexualforschung. - Stuttgart : Thieme, 2001- , ISSN: 1438-9460 , ZDB-ID: 2073538-8Zeitschrift für Sexualforschung, ISSN 1438-9460, Bd. 0 (2024), 0
https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2285-1076
“I have the feeling that the person is here”: older adults’ attitudes, usage intentions, and requirements for a telepresence robot. - In: International Journal of Social Robotics, ISSN 1875-4805, Bd. 0 (2024), 0, insges. 21 S.
The social integration of older adults has been shown to be vital for successful aging. Innovative communication technologies, such as telepresence robots, can protect older adults against loneliness and social isolation by helping them stay connected to their social networks. This human-centered qualitative study aims to identify the attitudes (research question 1, RQ1), intentions to use (RQ2), and requirements (RQ3) of older adults for robot-mediated communication (RMC) via a telepresence robot. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with N = 30 older adults from Germany, who evaluated storyboard illustrations depicting a fictional RMC scenario between a grandparent and their adult grandchild. The study identified 3 attitude groups towards telepresence robots among participants: positive, negative, and conflicting attitudes (RQ1). Furthermore, based on their intentions of use, participants were classified into reluctant future users (n = 12), future non-users (n = 10), and enthusiastic future users (n = 8) (RQ2). Finally, the study identified technological, social, and age-related requirements of older adults for a telepresence robot (RQ3). Practical recommendations are provided based on these findings, such as leveraging older adults’ current technology-related skills, adapting technologies to older adults’ lifestyles and social networks, and designing technologies that contribute to older adults aging in place. This study contributes to the human-centered design of telepresence robots that support the social integration of older adults.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-024-01143-z
Age and realism of avatars in simulated augmented reality: experimental evaluation of anticipated user experience. - In: IEEE Xplore digital library, ISSN 2473-2001, (2024), S. 83-93
Augmented reality (AR) presents vivid opportunities for interpersonal communication. With the growing diversity of social AR users, understanding their unique needs and perceptions becomes crucial. This study delves into how younger, middle-aged, and older adults perceive avatars with different aging attributes and degrees of realism, focusing on their anticipated user experience within a social AR system. We conducted an online within-subjects experiment involving N=2086 age-diverse participants from Germany who assessed a set of nine gender-matched avatars for their perceived social attractiveness (research question 1 = RQ1) and the likelihood of selecting these avatars for self-representation in social AR (RQ2). The evaluated avatars represented different age groups (younger, middle-aged, and older) and levels of realism (low, medium, and high). We validated both the created avatars and our experimental setup and employed a linear mixed-effects modeling approach to analyze the data. Our findings unveiled a strong preference for younger high-realism avatars as communication partners (RQ1), which was consistent across all participant age groups. Similarly, participants favored younger high-realism avatars for self-representation in social AR (RQ2). However, older adults were more inclined to opt for avatars resembling their actual age. The study highlights the prevalence of age-related stereotypes in avatar-based communication. Similar to face-to-face social interactions, these stereotypes tend to render older avatars less socially attractive than their younger counterparts, irrespective of the avatar’s degree of realism. Our results invite considerations on how to combat these stereotypes through a more thoughtful and inclusive avatar design process that encompasses a broader spectrum of aging attributes.
https://doi.org/10.1109/VR58804.2024.00032
An experiment on the press coverage of child sexual abuse: can readers differentiate between good and bad reporting?. - In: Mass communication & society, ISSN 1532-7825, Bd. 0 (2024), 0, S. 1-23
News reporting on child sexual abuse (CSA) plays an important role in educating the public and fighting sexual violence, according to the public interest model of normative media theory. Bad reporting, however, is widespread and hinders a solution-oriented approach. Against this backdrop, the current study investigated which normative and subjective criteria are used by readers when they assess the quality of CSA newspaper reporting (RQ1). Furthermore, it was tested if readers can differentiate between good and bad CSA reporting quality (RQ2) and if their personal involvement in the topic - concerning victimization, exposure to CSA reporting, CSA knowledge - influences assessments of journalistic quality (RQ3). An experimental online study with a national quota sample of N = 2724 adults (18–65 years; Mage = 44.1; 52.5% women) from Germany was conducted in 2020. The study is preregistered and further materials are shared on osf.io. It turned out that readers mostly used the normative criteria to assess CSA reporting quality that are suggested by the academic literature (RQ1). Readers were able to differentiate between CSA reporting with high versus low journalistic quality (RQ2) - irrespective of their own CSA victimization (RQ3). Readers rated bad reporting as mediocre, though, indicating potential unawareness of certain quality issues.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2024.2335344
Queerness in der Medienpädgaogik. - In: Medien + Erziehung, ISSN 0176-4918, Bd. 68 (2024), 2, S. 10-19
Die Fülle geschlechtlicher und sexueller Identitäten ist in jüngster Zeit gesellschaftlich deutlich sichtbarer geworden. Insbesondere digitale Medien haben dazu beigetragen. Denn sie erlauben es, auch solche Identitäten umfassend öffentlich darzustellen, die in Massenmedien allenfalls am Rande vorkommen. Die Effekte sind zwiespältig: Mediale Sichtbarkeit von Queerness geht mit Empowerment, aber auch mit zunehmender Anti Queerness einher. Welche Herausforderungen ergeben sich aus diesen Entwicklungen für die medienpädagogische Arbeit?
Research in brief: how prevalent is rough sex? Results from a national online sample of adults in Germany. - In: Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health, ISSN 1931-2393, Bd. 56 (2024), 2, S. 90-97
Background: Rough sex refers to consensual sexual activities that incorporate playful aggression, such as hair pulling, spanking, or choking. It is relevant in the context of sexual health as it can enhance sexual arousal, pleasure, and intimacy among consenting partners. However, it can also be associated with consent violations, discomfort, and injuries ranging from mild to severe or even fatal. The prevalence of rough sex in Germany is widely unknown. Our study aims to establish, for the first time, the overall age-related and gender-related prevalence rates of active and passive rough sex involvement among adults in Germany. Methods: A national online sample of 1101 adults from Germany, aged 18-69 years (50% men, 49% women, 1% gender-diverse individuals) gave informed consent and reported on their lifetime engagement in rough sex in active and passive roles. We recruited participants through a professional panel provider for a multi-themed sexual health survey. Data analysis was conducted using R, with 95% confidence intervals of prevalence rates computed to answer the research questions. Results: Lifetime prevalence of rough sex involvement was 29%. Adults below the age of 40 reported higher rates of involvement (up to 43%) than people over 40 (up to 26%). Men reported predominantly active role involvement and women reported primarily passive role involvement. Discussion: Results show that rough sex is common. Sexual health professionals, educators, and researchers should be prepared to guide current and aspiring practitioners of rough sex, helping them understand potential benefits, risks, and age- and gender-related differences.
https://doi.org/10.1111/psrh.12267
Sex-related online training for professionals: Instagram :
Sexualbezogene Online-Fortbildung für Fachkräfte: Instagram. - In: Zeitschrift für Sexualforschung, ISSN 1438-9460, Bd. 37 (2024), 2, S. 92-98
Der vorliegende Praxisbeitrag befasst sich mit der Foto- und Video-basierten Social-Media-Plattform Instagram. Er beschreibt die Funktionsweise der Plattform und geht auf den bisherigen Stand der Instagram-Forschung ein. Ist Instagram eher sexistisch oder feministisch? Wirkt die Plattform eher aufklärend oder desinformierend? Die Betrachtung der Instagram-Repräsentation ausgewählter sexualbezogener Themen wie Körperbild, Menstruation, Verhütung und LGBTIQ + zeigt ein ambivalentes Bild. Fachkräfte können dazu beitragen, dass Instagram eine hilfreiche Ressource für sexuelle und reproduktive Gesundheit und Rechte darstellt.
https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2256-3324
Qualität der Berichterstattung über sexuellen Kindesmissbrauch an der Odenwaldschule: ein empirischer Vergleich zwischen Qualitäts- und Boulevardpresse :
Quality of reporting on child sexual abuse at the Odenwaldschule in Germany: an empirical comparison between quality and tabloid press. - In: Studies in communication and media, ISSN 2192-4007, Bd. 13 (2024), 1, S. 38-45
https://doi.org/10.5771/2192-4007-2024-1-38