Purpose

As immersive technologies gain wider adoption, contemporary service researchers are tasked with studying their service experiences in ways that preserve and attend to their holistic and human characteristics. The purpose of this paper is to provide service researchers with a new qualitative approach to studying immersive technologies.

Design/methodology/approach

Using logic and following established methodological rules, this article develops the scope, definition and set of procedures for a novel form of netnography specifically adapted for the study of immersive technologies: immersive netnography. The research question is “How might netnography be adapted to research service experiences in virtual and augmented environments, which include and overlap with the notion of a Metaverse?”

Findings

Immersive netnography should be at the vanguard of phenomenological service experience studies of augmented reality, virtual reality and the Metaverse. A set of data collection, analysis, ethical and representational research practices, immersive netnography is adapted to digital media phenomena (customer and employee) that include immersive technology experiences. Developed through logical argumentation after analyzing key differences between social media and immersive technology, immersive netnography is procedurally customized for experience research in immersive technology environments.

Research limitations/implications

Three of the most significant practical limitations to producing high-quality netnography are rapidly changing contexts, scarce time resources and narrow researcher skillsets.

Practical implications

Industries and organizations may benefit from a new, holistically focused, ethically robust and culturally attuned market research method for understanding service experience in immersive technology contexts.

Originality/value

There have been no prior studies that develop netnography for the service research opportunities presented by immersive technologies. By applying the rigorous methodological guidance provided in this paper, future service researchers may find value in using specifically adapted qualitative research methods to study immersive technology experiences.

中文翻译：

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沉浸式网络志：一种在虚拟现实、增强现实和元宇宙环境中进行服务体验研究的新方法

目的

随着沉浸式技术得到更广泛的采用，当代服务研究人员的任务是研究他们的服务体验，以保持和关注他们的整体和人性特征。本文的目的是为服务研究人员提供一种新的定性方法来研究沉浸式技术。

设计/方法/途径

本文使用逻辑并遵循既定的方法论规则，为一种特别适用于沉浸式技术研究的新型网络志制定了范围、定义和程序集：沉浸式网络志。研究问题是“网络志如何适应虚拟和增强环境中的研究服务体验，其中包括元宇宙的概念并与之重叠？”

发现

沉浸式网络志应该是增强现实、虚拟现实和元宇宙现象学服务体验研究的先锋。一组数据收集、分析、伦理和代表性研究实践，沉浸式网络志适用于包括沉浸式技术体验的数字媒体现象（客户和员工）。在分析社交媒体和沉浸式技术之间的主要差异后通过逻辑论证开发，沉浸式网络志在程序上为沉浸式技术环境中的体验研究定制。

研究局限性/影响

制作高质量网络志的三个最重要的实际限制是快速变化的环境、稀缺的时间资源和狭窄的研究人员技能。

实际影响

行业和组织可能会受益于一种新的、全面关注的、道德稳健的和文化协调的市场研究方法，以了解沉浸式技术环境中的服务体验。

原创性/价值

之前没有研究为沉浸式技术提供的服务研究机会开发网络志。通过应用本文中提供的严格方法指导，未来的服务研究人员可能会发现使用特别适用的定性研究方法来研究沉浸式技术体验的价值。