Being There Together

The widespread use of social networking and social media, coupled with advances in rendering technologies and the ubiquity of computer networks have sparked a renewed interest in online virtual environments. Ecological and green issues force us to think again about the cost of meeting face-to-face, and the potential alternatives. In this book Schroeder maps out the current state-of-play for virtual environments drawing a nuanced picture of where we are, how we got here, and where we are going next. This is a must read for those of us interested in how we communicate now and in the future. Tim Regan, Microsoft Many readers will be familiar with Ralph's previous edited books which have served as important points of reference for researchers in the field of multi-user virtual environments. In this new book, Ralph gives a detailed overview of MUVE technologies and their social implications, and gives a compelling account of where these technologies are leading. The issue that Ralph highlights, how we ourselves are represented in the MUVE, is one of critical importance to the wide-spread acceptance of next-generation telepresence technologies. -Anthony Steed University College London "Ralph Schroeder has been at the center of research on telepresence for more than a decade. In the current book he takes his unique historical perspective and looks ahead to how new media will change the fundamental processes of social interaction." Jeremy Bailenson, Stanford University