Sanal mekânın toplumsal üretimini anlamak: Postfenomenolojik perspektiften sürükleyici sosyal sanal gerçeklikte kullanıcı-çevre ilişkileri

Immersive social virtual reality (VR) platforms offer users three-dimensional spaces to create, communicate, and socialize through embodied avatars. These platforms facilitate social practices that redefine interaction in ways unique to VR. Aiming to explore multifaceted dimensions of the evolving landscape of virtual social interaction, this study aims to understand the social production of virtual space in immersive social virtual reality (VR) platforms from a postphenomenological perspective. The research underscores the connection between the production of virtual space in social VR platforms and the development of social relations and practices. By adopting an approach that views the production of space in social VR as the creation of social relations within that space, the study not only contributes to the existing literature by positioning immersive social VR platforms as emergent social spaces but also explores them as entirely new social environments. The study argues that users' experiences cannot be separated from their embodiment in the virtual space, and their embodied social practices form the virtual space as a social space or a socially produced space, in which users produce themselves in space and at the same time produce that space. It sees social VR platforms as a series of relative, interactive, creative, and collaborative social spaces arising from a set of particularly embodied social practices and relations constituted via the interactions among practice (perceived), conceptualization (conceived), and representation (lived). In this regard, the study builds on a postphenomenological framework focused on User-Environment Relations (Vindenes and Wasson, 2021a) to explore user experiences in immersive virtual reality. It adopts Lefebvre's (1991) Production of Space Theory and spatial triad as a conceptual anchor to examine the interplay between perceived, conceived, and lived spaces, and incorporates Proctor's (2021) Social Production of Internet Space framework. Through this lens, the study examines the social production of virtual space across three dimensions: The perceived space of affordances, the conceived space of programming, and the lived space of virtuality. The perceived space encompasses the affordances available to users within the virtual environment, reflecting the immediate possibilities for interaction and creativity. The conceived space refers to the programming and design elements that structure and guide the user experience, reflecting the intentionality of developers and designers in shaping how users interact with the virtual environment. The lived space of virtuality represents the users' lived practices, experiences, and expressions within the virtual environment. It is where interactions, social norms, rituals, and shared narratives are actively created and performed, reflecting how users inhabit and make meaning of the virtual space. This dimension highlights the emotional, social, and cultural dynamics that emerge through embodied presence and collective experiences, bringing the virtual environment to life as a socially constructed and experienced space. The study contends that the relationality and intentionality between users and the environment are both shaped by and constitutive of these three dimensions in social VR platforms. The study employs a qualitative research design conducted in AltspaceVR, an open event-based social virtual reality platform for live mixed reality (MR) experiences that not only encapsulated the principles of social production but has undergone its own closure. The closure of AltspaceVR during the field study served as a unique opportunity for understanding how users adapt and transition to different virtual worlds while maintaining a sense of continuity in their virtual social interactions. By integrating Lefebvre's (1991) spatial theories of social production and reproduction with concepts of media migration and virtual diaspora, the study also explores the interplay between spatial practices, community bonds, and continuity in navigating digital disruptions such as platform closures. This study explores immersive virtual spaces through a mixed-method framework that combines multi-platform ethnography, a user-centered approach, and phenomenological and postphenomenological analyses. The fieldwork spans two years of participant observation and includes 41 semi-structured interviews with AltspaceVR users, world creators, and event creators. Interviews were conducted in two formats: (1) Go-along interviews within AltspaceVR, where participants shared experiences while navigating the virtual environment, and (2) online interviews via video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Discord. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis with the support of Atlas.ti qualitative data analysis software. This study offers a comprehensive framework for understanding the evolving nature of virtual spaces and highlights the pivotal role of users in their social production and reproduction. By examining three spatial dimensions- perceived, conceived, and lived spaces- it demonstrates how these intersect to create vibrant and socially rich virtual environments. The research provides theoretical, methodological, and practical insights into the creation, evolution, and sustainability of virtual spaces as socially produced spaces. It further explores the challenges users and creators face when virtual communities migrate following platform closures and proposes practical strategies to maintain continuity in face of digital disruptions. By illustrating how users co-create virtual spaces and preserve social bonds, the study reveals the transformative potential of immersive social VR as a dynamic arena for innovation, creativity, and meaningful human connection.