{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T23:24:09Z","timestamp":1777937049788,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,24]],"date-time":"2020-09-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1600905600000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001774","name":"university of sydney","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001774","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["New Media &amp; Society"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>This article explores the Oculus suite of virtual reality (VR) technologies, with a specific focus on the period following the company\u2019s 2014 acquisition by Facebook. Through a close reading of promotional material, we first describe and analyse the \u2018Oculus imaginary\u2019 \u2013 the narrative produced by Facebook about the Oculus as integrated into and enhancing the experience of Facebook\u2019s wider suite of social software. The purpose of this narrative, we suggest, is to construct and \u2018sell\u2019 a Facebook-specific vision of VR\u2019s potentials \u2013 one that is appealing both to end users and platform complementors \u2013 and moreover, a vision that appears to be conducive to Facebook\u2019s current methods for accumulating profit and power. Following on, we develop via a study of YouTube user comments posted on promotional videos for the Oculus, an anticipatory account of how the Oculus imaginary is perceived to relate to the lives and values of everyday individuals.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/1461444820960411","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,24]],"date-time":"2020-09-24T03:26:31Z","timestamp":1600917991000},"page":"70-89","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":77,"title":["Oculus imaginaries: The promises and perils of Facebook\u2019s virtual reality"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"24","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7878-7208","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ben","family":"Egliston","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Queensland University of Technology, Australia"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4866-4928","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marcus","family":"Carter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The University of Sydney, Australia"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-1461444820960411","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/17530350.2016.1230771"},{"key":"bibr2-1461444820960411","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/1369118X.2016.1154086"},{"key":"bibr3-1461444820960411","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4135\/9781473984066.n14"},{"key":"bibr4-1461444820960411","unstructured":"Carter M, Egliston B (2020) Ethical implications of emerging mixed reality technologies. Socio-Tech Futures Lab: University of Sydney. Available at: https:\/\/ses.library.usyd.edu.au\/handle\/2123\/22485#:~:text=We%20outline%20areas%20pertaining%20to,entertainment%20complex%2C%205)%20empathy%2C"},{"issue":"1","key":"bibr5-1461444820960411","first-page":"1","volume":"1","author":"Chesher C","year":"1994","journal-title":"Cultronix"},{"key":"bibr6-1461444820960411","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0308518X15592302"},{"key":"bibr7-1461444820960411","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1215\/17432197-8233406"},{"key":"bibr8-1461444820960411","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4324\/9781351009324"},{"key":"bibr9-1461444820960411","unstructured":"Foxman M (2018) Playing with virtual reality: early adopters of commercial immersive technology. Unpublished Doctoral Thesis, Columbia University. 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