What makes the metaverse lovable? Unveiling the interplay between immersive experiences, engagement and the triangular theory of love

Kumar, Aman; Shankar, Amit; Behl, Abhishek; Zhang, Justin Z.

Abstract

Purpose
The research investigates the influence of immersive experiences (sensory, feel, think and behavioural) on user engagement in the metaverse. It also examines the influence of user engagement on intimacy, passion and commitment. Lastly, the study also investigated the moderating impact of technology anxiety.

Design/methodology/approach
Using the Prolific online platform, we gathered survey responses from 318 individuals and employed structural equation modeling techniques to test our hypotheses.

Findings
The result of this study indicates that sensory experience, think experience, feel experience and behavioural experience are significantly associated with engagement towards metaverse platforms. Further, engagement in the metaverse significantly influences passion towards metaverse platforms. Finally, technology anxiety moderates the association between think experience, feel experience and engagement with metaverse platforms.

Originality/value
This research advances our understanding of how engagement, technology anxiety and user experiences shape interactions within the metaverse ecosystem. It also enriches the triangulation theory of love literature.

Citation

Kumar, A., Shankar, A., Behl, A., & Zhang, J. Z. (2025). What makes the metaverse lovable? Unveiling the interplay between immersive experiences, engagement and the triangular theory of love. Online Information Review, https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-08-2023-0427

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 3, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Apr 8, 2025
• Publication Date: Apr 8, 2025
• Deposit Date: Apr 23, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 24, 2025
• Journal: Online Information Review
• Print ISSN: 1468-4527
• Publisher: Emerald
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-08-2023-0427
• Public URL: https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/1198308
• Publisher URL: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/oir-08-2023-0427/full/html