Beyond the Empathy Machine: Humanization in Immersive Stories of Incarceration

Beyond the Empathy Machine: How Audiences Negotiate Humanization in Immersive Stories of Incarceration

Dr. Spencer Bennett, the Senior Research Associate at University of Houston's CougAR Lab, will explore how immersive media can shape the way audiences understand incarceration, empathy, and prison reform.

Drawing on participant responses to a 360-degree incarceration experience, the presentation examines how people humanize incarcerated individuals while still negotiating beliefs about crime, punishment, responsibility, and deservingness. The talk introduces an interpretive model showing why feeling closer to someone’s experience does not always lead to broader changes in attitudes or support for reform.

As always, we'll also cover recent AR and VR news. If you have hardware/software reviews you'd like to share or have work-in-progress to demo, please let us know.

Everyone is welcome!