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Technology anxiety in virtual reality adoption: examining the impact of age, past experience, and cybersickness

Technology anxiety in virtual reality adoption: examining the impact of age, past experience, and cybersickness
Technology anxiety in virtual reality adoption: examining the impact of age, past experience, and cybersickness

This study examines the role of Technology Anxiety (TA), age, past use, and cybersickness in the adoption of Virtual Reality (VR) technology. Using an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the research integrates age and past use as antecedents of TA and evaluates their influence on perceived ease of use (PEoU), perceived enjoyment (PENJ), and user attitudes. Data from 206 participants were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) following a VR pilgrimage experience. The findings challenge conventional assumptions, revealing that past VR use increased TA, contradicting prior studies that associate familiarity with reduced anxiety. Additionally, older users exhibited lower TA levels than younger participants, highlighting a potential shift in how age influences technology adoption. TA significantly enhanced PENJ, indicating that anxiety may amplify emotional engagement in immersive settings, rather than solely acting as a barrier. While TA enhanced PEoU, it had a negative correlation with cybersickness, suggesting that anxious users might interact with VR more cautiously, thereby limiting sensory mismatches. Moreover, cybersickness did not significantly influence attitudes toward the system, emphasizing the dominance of engagement over physical discomfort in emotionally significant experiences. Attitude toward the system strongly predicted use intention, highlighting the necessity of designing VR experiences that balance usability with emotional engagement. This study provides new insights into the psychological and demographic factors influencing VR adoption and offers practical strategies for optimizing user experience, particularly in religious and cultural applications.

Age and Technology Use, Cybersickness Impact, Technology Anxiety, Virtual Reality Adoption, virtual reality adoption, technology anxiety, cybersickness impact, Age and technology use
2169-3536
71858-71879
Khalifah, Eman Al
ca793c1a-c988-4ee3-ab1f-be2e1a61a15a
Hammady, Ramy
9d5ff940-2d85-44e7-b001-222ae2feb935
Abdelrahman, Mahmoud
9a978bd8-7104-49ee-aee2-253e5c85065a
Al-Shamaileh, Ons
32ad8a07-6ab0-4b55-b8d0-ee9944fc4f95
Marghany, Mostafa
148f8491-1aa7-4af9-b528-2132686b8b90
El-Jarn, Hatana
e0fe6db8-62c5-4f21-99df-f57fbdb7b8cc
Darwish, Alyaa
fe579474-c3d8-43f9-99ca-0f847e5a98b7
Kurt, Yusuf
c7a67600-5d5c-4880-a0b0-af9d163ce077
Khalifah, Eman Al
ca793c1a-c988-4ee3-ab1f-be2e1a61a15a
Hammady, Ramy
9d5ff940-2d85-44e7-b001-222ae2feb935
Abdelrahman, Mahmoud
9a978bd8-7104-49ee-aee2-253e5c85065a
Al-Shamaileh, Ons
32ad8a07-6ab0-4b55-b8d0-ee9944fc4f95
Marghany, Mostafa
148f8491-1aa7-4af9-b528-2132686b8b90
El-Jarn, Hatana
e0fe6db8-62c5-4f21-99df-f57fbdb7b8cc
Darwish, Alyaa
fe579474-c3d8-43f9-99ca-0f847e5a98b7
Kurt, Yusuf
c7a67600-5d5c-4880-a0b0-af9d163ce077

Khalifah, Eman Al, Hammady, Ramy, Abdelrahman, Mahmoud, Al-Shamaileh, Ons, Marghany, Mostafa, El-Jarn, Hatana, Darwish, Alyaa and Kurt, Yusuf (2025) Technology anxiety in virtual reality adoption: examining the impact of age, past experience, and cybersickness. IEEE Access, 13, 71858-71879. (doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2025.3562383).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This study examines the role of Technology Anxiety (TA), age, past use, and cybersickness in the adoption of Virtual Reality (VR) technology. Using an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the research integrates age and past use as antecedents of TA and evaluates their influence on perceived ease of use (PEoU), perceived enjoyment (PENJ), and user attitudes. Data from 206 participants were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) following a VR pilgrimage experience. The findings challenge conventional assumptions, revealing that past VR use increased TA, contradicting prior studies that associate familiarity with reduced anxiety. Additionally, older users exhibited lower TA levels than younger participants, highlighting a potential shift in how age influences technology adoption. TA significantly enhanced PENJ, indicating that anxiety may amplify emotional engagement in immersive settings, rather than solely acting as a barrier. While TA enhanced PEoU, it had a negative correlation with cybersickness, suggesting that anxious users might interact with VR more cautiously, thereby limiting sensory mismatches. Moreover, cybersickness did not significantly influence attitudes toward the system, emphasizing the dominance of engagement over physical discomfort in emotionally significant experiences. Attitude toward the system strongly predicted use intention, highlighting the necessity of designing VR experiences that balance usability with emotional engagement. This study provides new insights into the psychological and demographic factors influencing VR adoption and offers practical strategies for optimizing user experience, particularly in religious and cultural applications.

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Accepted/In Press date: 13 April 2025
Published date: 18 April 2025
Keywords: Age and Technology Use, Cybersickness Impact, Technology Anxiety, Virtual Reality Adoption, virtual reality adoption, technology anxiety, cybersickness impact, Age and technology use

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 501474
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/501474
ISSN: 2169-3536
PURE UUID: 556d8d1f-ae02-4590-b31b-ed15185b36ad
ORCID for Ramy Hammady: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4764-6039

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 02 Jun 2025 16:51
Last modified: 22 Aug 2025 02:49

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Contributors

Author: Eman Al Khalifah
Author: Ramy Hammady ORCID iD
Author: Mahmoud Abdelrahman
Author: Ons Al-Shamaileh
Author: Mostafa Marghany
Author: Hatana El-Jarn
Author: Alyaa Darwish
Author: Yusuf Kurt

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