The feeling of being together in the metaverse: the positive influence of copresence on subjective well-being

PurposeThe synchronous interactivity in the metaverse afforded copresence, the feeling of being together with other users. Applying the flow theory, this study examines how copresence improves the subjective well-being of users through flow and escapism.Design/methodology/approachAn online self-administered survey of 212 US adults who are currently using metaverse platforms is conducted. The collected data are analyzed by SPSS 27.0 for descriptive statistics and reliability analysis. AMOS 27.0 is employed for the confirmatory factor analysis. The bootstrapping analysis via the PROCESS Macro is used to analyze the mediating and moderating effects.FindingsThe results find that copresence, flow, and escapism improve the subjective well-being of metaverse users. A serial mediation analysis reveals that the influence of copresence on subjective well-being is mediated by flow and escapism. Additionally, the impact of escapism on subjective well-being is moderated by self-expansion.Originality/valueThe findings contribute to the metaverse literature and the industry by highlighting the role of copresence in improving user experience and subjective well-being.