Main Article Content
Abstract
This study examined the impact of immersive technologies on media engagement and communication in the Nigerian media environment. It aimed to assess the current state of immersive technologies in the Nigerian media industry, barriers, knowledge gap and how it adoption enhance media content creation and operations. Utilising Uses and Gratification Theory, the research illustrates how audience members engage with media contents to satisfy certain needs. Survey research method provides a thorough understanding of the effect of immersive technologies on media engagement and communication in the Nigerian media space. A multiple regression analysis was carried out to assess how effectively UGT-based gratification needs predicted the use of immersive technology. The model produced an R² of 0.485, indicating that the five gratification constructs accounted for 48.5% of the variance in immersive technology utilisation. The model's correlation coefficient (R) was 0.696, implying a robust positive relationship between users' needs and their engagement with immersive media. The study concluded that gratification-driven motivations promote the adoption and use of immersive technologies within media organisations in Nigeria. The results illustrate that the incorporation of immersive media strengthened by innovative strategies and technological frameworks, significantly enhance content delivery, audience engagement, and internal collaboration. Though the future of immersive technology and its adoption in the Nigerian media space looks promising, its potential to thrive is highly dependent on how the industry tackles user experience concerns. Thus, positioning immersive platforms as vital assets for media organisations.
Keywords
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Copyright (c) 2025 Sharifatu Gago Ja'afaru, EMMANUEL JOHN ANAGU

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References
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- Bailey, J. O., & Bailenson, J. N. (2017). Considering virtual reality in children’s lives. Journal of Children and Media, 11(1), 107-113.
- Bećirović, S. (2024). Examining learning management system success: a multiperspective framework. Education and Information Technologies, 29(9), 11675-11699.
- Boudkouss, H., & Djelassi, S. (2021). Understanding in-store interactive technology use: a uses and gratifications theory (UGT) perspective. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 49(12), 1621-1639.
- Business strategies in virtual reality: a review of market opportunities and consumer experience. International Journal of Management & Entrepreneurship Research, 6(3), 722–736.
- Clohessy, T., & Acton, T. (2019). Investigating the influence of organizational factors on blockchain adoption: An innovation theory perspective. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 119(7), 1457-1491.
- Cummings, J. J., Tsay-Vogel, M., Cahill, T. J., & Zhang, L. (2022). Effects of immersive storytelling on affective, cognitive, and associative empathy: The mediating role of presence. new media & society, 24(9), 2003-2026.
- Digital Catapult (2024). Everything to know about immersive technology. Retrieved from https://www.digicatapult.org.uk/blogs/post/everything-to-know-about-immersive- technology/
- Eskiadi, I. G., & Panagiotou, N. (2024). Embracing Immersive Journalism: Adoption and Integration by News Media Producers. Journalism and Media, 5(4), 1494-1508.
- Fribourg, R., Argelaguet, F., Hoyet, L., & Lécuyer, A. (2018). Studying the sense of embodiment in VR shared experiences. In 2018 IEEE conference on virtual reality and 3D user interfaces (VR) (273-280). IEEE.
- Gao, B. (2023). A uses and gratifications approach to examining users’ continuance intention towards smart mobile learning. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10(1), 1-13.
- Hollebeek, L. D., & Macky, K. (2019). Digital content marketing's role in fostering consumer engagement, trust, and value: Framework, fundamental propositions, and implications. Journal of interactive marketing, 45(1), 27-41.
- Inobemhe, K., Ja’afaru S. G. & Asemah, E. S. (2024). Efa indigenous communication system as a tool for cultural preservation in Etsako, Edo State. In E. S. Asemah (Ed.), Communication and Media Dynamics (pp. 493-507). Enugu: Franklead Printing and Publishing Company.
- Ja’afaru, S. G. & Asemah, E. S. (2024). How social media shape public opinion through propaganda and the spread of disinformation. In E. S. Asemah (Ed.), Communication and Media Dynamics (pp. 26-41). Enugu: Franklead Printing and Publishing Company.
- Ja’afaru, S. G. & Udeh, N. S. (2024). Comparative Analysis of Critical Versus Administrative Orientation in the Understanding of Media Theory. In C. E. Obaje & K. Inobemhe (Eds.), Communication Audit, Media Management and Theories (pp. 284-294). Lagos: Amfitop Books.
- Ja’afaru, S. G. (2023). The crisis of hybridity in Nigeria’s media space. Benin Mediacom Journal, 17(2), 156-170.
- Ja’afaru, S. G. (2025). Peacebuilding communication strategies of Taraba State government in North-East Nigeria. In E. S. Asemah (Ed.), Reputation Management and Strategic Communication in a Digital Age (pp. 349-360). Enugu: Franklead Printing and Publishing Company.
- Jung, H., Lee, M., & Park, S. (2020). The Relationship between Sports Media Immersion and Sports Continuation of University Students through Social Media. International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology, 8(4), 144-152.
- Kperogi, F. A. (2016), ‘Networked social journalism: Media, citizen participation, and democracy in Nigeria’, in B. Mutsvairo (ed.), Participatory Politics and Citizen Journalism in a Networked Africa: A Connected Continent, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 19–33.
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- Kuzmina, A. M., & Kuzmin, A. E. (2024). Immersive «Post-Internet» Technologies in Media Communications and Journalism. In 2024 Communication Strategies in Digital Society Seminar (ComSDS) (79-82). IEEE.
- Mendonça, H. S. A. D., Boté-Vericad, J. J., & Carvalho, J. M. D. (2024). The Information of Things: A Study on the Potential of Journalism with 5G Technology.
- Miguel-Alonso, I., Checa, D., Guillen-Sanz, H., & Bustillo, A. (2024). Evaluation of the novelty effect in immersive virtual reality learning experiences. Virtual Reality, 28(1), 27.
- Pavlik, J. V. (2024). Journalism and the Metaverse. Anthem Press.
- Rachmawati, A. K., Heryanto & Tornando, H. (2024). Challenges in consumer adaptation to immersive technologies: a comprehensive literature review. eCo-Buss, 7(1), 317-328.
- Raji, M. A., Olodo, H. B., Oke, T. T., Addy, W. A., Ofodile, O. C., & Oyewole, A. T. (2024). Business strategies in virtual reality: a review of market opportunities and consumer experience. International Journal of Management & Entrepreneurship Research, 6(3), 722–736.
- Reis, A. A. C. B. (2021). Immersive media, social change, and creativity: a framework for designing collaborative 360 video productions (Doctoral dissertation, Universidade do Porto (Portugal)).
- Reis, A. B. (2023). “Immersive media and social change: The‘empathy machine’ is dead, long live ‘emotional geography’!”. Anàlisi: Quaderns de Comunicaciói Cultura, 68, 135-154.
- Rincon, C. & Perez, J. (2025). What are immersive technologies. Retrieved from https://www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/resource/immersive-technologies-explainer/
- Rodríguez-Abitia, G., de Lourdes Sánchez-Guerrero, M., Martínez-Pérez, S., & Aguas-García, N. (2022). Competencies of Information Technology professionals in society 5.0. IEEE Revista Iberoamericana de Tecnologias del Aprendizaje, 17(4), 343-350.
- Russial, J., Laufer, P. and Wasko, J. (2015), ‘Journalism in crisis?’, Javnost – The Public, 22(4), 299–312, https://doi.org/10.1080/13183222.2015.1091618.
- Salzmann, A., Guribye, F., & Gynnild, A. (2023). Adopting a mojo mindset: Training newspaper reporters in mobile journalism. Journalism, 24(2), 346-362.
- Salzmann, A., Guribye, F., & Gynnild, A. (2023). Adopting a mojo mindset: Training newspaper reporters in mobile journalism. Journalism, 24(2), 346-362.
- Sanabria, J. C., & Arámburo-Lizárraga, J. (2017). Enhancing 21st century skills with AR: Using the gradual immersion method to develop collaborative creativity. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 13(2), 487-501.
- Santos, N. M. & Peslak, A. (2022). Immersive technologies: Benefits, timeframes, and obstacles. Issues in Information Systems, 23(2), 170-184.
- Sheikh, R. A., Ahmed, I., Faqihi, A. Y. A., & Shehawy, Y. M. (2024). Global Perspectives on Navigating Industry 5.0 Knowledge: Achieving Resilience, Sustainability, and Human-Centric Innovation in Manufacturing. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 1-36.
- Shilina, M. G. & Wirth, J. (2021). Immersive technologies in media: towards the concept of generative mediatization?. RUDN Journal of Studies in Literature and Journalism, 26(4) 672–680.
- Shin, D., & Biocca, F. (2018). Exploring immersive experience in journalism. New media & society, 20(8), 2800-2823.
- Stănescu, D. F., & Romașcanu, M. C. (2024). The Impact of Perceived Social Support on Workplace Loneliness. The Mediation Role of Work Alienation. Management Dynamics in the Knowledge Economy, 12(2), 133-144.
- Steed, A., Archer, D., Izzouzi, L., Numan, N., Shapiro, K., Swapp, D., ... & Lindeman, R. W. (2023). Immersive competence and immersive literacy: Exploring how users learn about immersive experiences. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 4, 1129242.
- Sweeny, R. W. (2023). Digital and Postdigital Media in Art Education. Studies in Art Education, 64(4), 401-405.
- Velana, M., Sobieraj, S., Digutsch, J., & Rinkenauer, G. (2022). The advances of immersive virtual reality interventions for the enhancement of stress management and relaxation among healthy adults: a systematic review. Applied Sciences, 12(14), 7309.
- Windhager, F., & Mayr, E. (2024). Digital Humanities and Distributed Cognition: From a Lack of Theory to its Visual Augmentation. Journal of Cultural Analytics, 7(4).
- Xu, Y., Liu, W., He, T., & Tsai, S. B. (2024). Buzzword or fuzzword: an event study of the metaverse in the Chinese stock market. Internet Research, 34(1), 174-194.
- Yang, Y., Sannusi, S. N. & Rizal, A. R. A. (2024). Exploring the role of immersive media technologiesin environmental communication: a case study of underwater earth projects. Environmental Communication, DOI 10.1080/17524032.2024.2420785
- Zheng, R., Li, Z., & Na, S. (2022). How customer engagement in the live-streaming affects purchase intention and customer acquisition, E-tailer's perspective. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 68, 103015.
References
Aitamurto, T., Ananny, M., Anderson, C. W., Birnbaum, L., Diakopoulos, N., Hanson, M., ... & Ritchie, N. (2019, May). HCI for accurate, impartial and transparent journalism: Challenges and solutions. In Extended abstracts of the 2019 CHI conference on human factors in computing systems (pp. 1-8).
Asemah, E. S., Nwammuo, A. N. & Nkwam-Uwaoma, A. O. A. (2022). Theories and models of communication (2nd ed.). Jos: University Press.
Bailey, J. O., & Bailenson, J. N. (2017). Considering virtual reality in children’s lives. Journal of Children and Media, 11(1), 107-113.
Bećirović, S. (2024). Examining learning management system success: a multiperspective framework. Education and Information Technologies, 29(9), 11675-11699.
Boudkouss, H., & Djelassi, S. (2021). Understanding in-store interactive technology use: a uses and gratifications theory (UGT) perspective. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 49(12), 1621-1639.
Business strategies in virtual reality: a review of market opportunities and consumer experience. International Journal of Management & Entrepreneurship Research, 6(3), 722–736.
Clohessy, T., & Acton, T. (2019). Investigating the influence of organizational factors on blockchain adoption: An innovation theory perspective. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 119(7), 1457-1491.
Cummings, J. J., Tsay-Vogel, M., Cahill, T. J., & Zhang, L. (2022). Effects of immersive storytelling on affective, cognitive, and associative empathy: The mediating role of presence. new media & society, 24(9), 2003-2026.
Digital Catapult (2024). Everything to know about immersive technology. Retrieved from https://www.digicatapult.org.uk/blogs/post/everything-to-know-about-immersive- technology/
Eskiadi, I. G., & Panagiotou, N. (2024). Embracing Immersive Journalism: Adoption and Integration by News Media Producers. Journalism and Media, 5(4), 1494-1508.
Fribourg, R., Argelaguet, F., Hoyet, L., & Lécuyer, A. (2018). Studying the sense of embodiment in VR shared experiences. In 2018 IEEE conference on virtual reality and 3D user interfaces (VR) (273-280). IEEE.
Gao, B. (2023). A uses and gratifications approach to examining users’ continuance intention towards smart mobile learning. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10(1), 1-13.
Hollebeek, L. D., & Macky, K. (2019). Digital content marketing's role in fostering consumer engagement, trust, and value: Framework, fundamental propositions, and implications. Journal of interactive marketing, 45(1), 27-41.
Inobemhe, K., Ja’afaru S. G. & Asemah, E. S. (2024). Efa indigenous communication system as a tool for cultural preservation in Etsako, Edo State. In E. S. Asemah (Ed.), Communication and Media Dynamics (pp. 493-507). Enugu: Franklead Printing and Publishing Company.
Ja’afaru, S. G. & Asemah, E. S. (2024). How social media shape public opinion through propaganda and the spread of disinformation. In E. S. Asemah (Ed.), Communication and Media Dynamics (pp. 26-41). Enugu: Franklead Printing and Publishing Company.
Ja’afaru, S. G. & Udeh, N. S. (2024). Comparative Analysis of Critical Versus Administrative Orientation in the Understanding of Media Theory. In C. E. Obaje & K. Inobemhe (Eds.), Communication Audit, Media Management and Theories (pp. 284-294). Lagos: Amfitop Books.
Ja’afaru, S. G. (2023). The crisis of hybridity in Nigeria’s media space. Benin Mediacom Journal, 17(2), 156-170.
Ja’afaru, S. G. (2025). Peacebuilding communication strategies of Taraba State government in North-East Nigeria. In E. S. Asemah (Ed.), Reputation Management and Strategic Communication in a Digital Age (pp. 349-360). Enugu: Franklead Printing and Publishing Company.
Jung, H., Lee, M., & Park, S. (2020). The Relationship between Sports Media Immersion and Sports Continuation of University Students through Social Media. International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology, 8(4), 144-152.
Kperogi, F. A. (2016), ‘Networked social journalism: Media, citizen participation, and democracy in Nigeria’, in B. Mutsvairo (ed.), Participatory Politics and Citizen Journalism in a Networked Africa: A Connected Continent, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 19–33.
Kperogi, F. A. and Ishiekwene, A. (2025), ‘Light in a digital black hole: Exploration of emergent artificial intelligence journalism in Nigeria’, Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies, online first, https://doi.org/10.1386/ajms_00164_1
Kumar, S., Lim, W. M., Sivarajah, U., & Kaur, J. (2023). Artificial intelligence and blockchain integration in business: trends from a bibliometric-content analysis. Information Systems Frontiers, 25(2), 871-896.
Kuzmina, A. M., & Kuzmin, A. E. (2024). Immersive «Post-Internet» Technologies in Media Communications and Journalism. In 2024 Communication Strategies in Digital Society Seminar (ComSDS) (79-82). IEEE.
Mendonça, H. S. A. D., Boté-Vericad, J. J., & Carvalho, J. M. D. (2024). The Information of Things: A Study on the Potential of Journalism with 5G Technology.
Miguel-Alonso, I., Checa, D., Guillen-Sanz, H., & Bustillo, A. (2024). Evaluation of the novelty effect in immersive virtual reality learning experiences. Virtual Reality, 28(1), 27.
Pavlik, J. V. (2024). Journalism and the Metaverse. Anthem Press.
Rachmawati, A. K., Heryanto & Tornando, H. (2024). Challenges in consumer adaptation to immersive technologies: a comprehensive literature review. eCo-Buss, 7(1), 317-328.
Raji, M. A., Olodo, H. B., Oke, T. T., Addy, W. A., Ofodile, O. C., & Oyewole, A. T. (2024). Business strategies in virtual reality: a review of market opportunities and consumer experience. International Journal of Management & Entrepreneurship Research, 6(3), 722–736.
Reis, A. A. C. B. (2021). Immersive media, social change, and creativity: a framework for designing collaborative 360 video productions (Doctoral dissertation, Universidade do Porto (Portugal)).
Reis, A. B. (2023). “Immersive media and social change: The‘empathy machine’ is dead, long live ‘emotional geography’!”. Anàlisi: Quaderns de Comunicaciói Cultura, 68, 135-154.
Rincon, C. & Perez, J. (2025). What are immersive technologies. Retrieved from https://www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/resource/immersive-technologies-explainer/
Rodríguez-Abitia, G., de Lourdes Sánchez-Guerrero, M., Martínez-Pérez, S., & Aguas-García, N. (2022). Competencies of Information Technology professionals in society 5.0. IEEE Revista Iberoamericana de Tecnologias del Aprendizaje, 17(4), 343-350.
Russial, J., Laufer, P. and Wasko, J. (2015), ‘Journalism in crisis?’, Javnost – The Public, 22(4), 299–312, https://doi.org/10.1080/13183222.2015.1091618.
Salzmann, A., Guribye, F., & Gynnild, A. (2023). Adopting a mojo mindset: Training newspaper reporters in mobile journalism. Journalism, 24(2), 346-362.
Salzmann, A., Guribye, F., & Gynnild, A. (2023). Adopting a mojo mindset: Training newspaper reporters in mobile journalism. Journalism, 24(2), 346-362.
Sanabria, J. C., & Arámburo-Lizárraga, J. (2017). Enhancing 21st century skills with AR: Using the gradual immersion method to develop collaborative creativity. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 13(2), 487-501.
Santos, N. M. & Peslak, A. (2022). Immersive technologies: Benefits, timeframes, and obstacles. Issues in Information Systems, 23(2), 170-184.
Sheikh, R. A., Ahmed, I., Faqihi, A. Y. A., & Shehawy, Y. M. (2024). Global Perspectives on Navigating Industry 5.0 Knowledge: Achieving Resilience, Sustainability, and Human-Centric Innovation in Manufacturing. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 1-36.
Shilina, M. G. & Wirth, J. (2021). Immersive technologies in media: towards the concept of generative mediatization?. RUDN Journal of Studies in Literature and Journalism, 26(4) 672–680.
Shin, D., & Biocca, F. (2018). Exploring immersive experience in journalism. New media & society, 20(8), 2800-2823.
Stănescu, D. F., & Romașcanu, M. C. (2024). The Impact of Perceived Social Support on Workplace Loneliness. The Mediation Role of Work Alienation. Management Dynamics in the Knowledge Economy, 12(2), 133-144.
Steed, A., Archer, D., Izzouzi, L., Numan, N., Shapiro, K., Swapp, D., ... & Lindeman, R. W. (2023). Immersive competence and immersive literacy: Exploring how users learn about immersive experiences. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 4, 1129242.
Sweeny, R. W. (2023). Digital and Postdigital Media in Art Education. Studies in Art Education, 64(4), 401-405.
Velana, M., Sobieraj, S., Digutsch, J., & Rinkenauer, G. (2022). The advances of immersive virtual reality interventions for the enhancement of stress management and relaxation among healthy adults: a systematic review. Applied Sciences, 12(14), 7309.
Windhager, F., & Mayr, E. (2024). Digital Humanities and Distributed Cognition: From a Lack of Theory to its Visual Augmentation. Journal of Cultural Analytics, 7(4).
Xu, Y., Liu, W., He, T., & Tsai, S. B. (2024). Buzzword or fuzzword: an event study of the metaverse in the Chinese stock market. Internet Research, 34(1), 174-194.
Yang, Y., Sannusi, S. N. & Rizal, A. R. A. (2024). Exploring the role of immersive media technologiesin environmental communication: a case study of underwater earth projects. Environmental Communication, DOI 10.1080/17524032.2024.2420785
Zheng, R., Li, Z., & Na, S. (2022). How customer engagement in the live-streaming affects purchase intention and customer acquisition, E-tailer's perspective. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 68, 103015.