PRESENCE 2008 PANEL - A Grand Challenge for Presence
How do we create the experience we call reality? how does it affect and is affected by the way we relate to others? How are rapidly evolving interaction technologies changingit? Presence is a field studying the science, technology andsocial impact of digitally mediated interaction. It consists ofresearch strands studying both how to produce “real”-feeling experiences (Physical Presence) and the impact ofnew interaction technologies on social dynamics and socialnetworks (Social Presence).Both strands are concerned with how our livingexperience, as individuals or groups, is affected by ever morepowerful digitally mediated interaction technologies.Presence is intensely interdisciplinary: it is a scientificand technological multi-disciplinary field requiring jointwork in Human and Social Cognition, Human-Machineinteraction and Machine Cognition. Although manyinteresting research lines in Presence are presently beingpursued, it is apparent that it would be beneficial for the fieldtoday to focus community efforts on a Grand Challenge incore science and technology of Presence in either or both ofthe strands.In Social Presence, the goal of the field is to developscience and technology to achieve successful digitallymediated interaction at the individual or group level, andopen up a wide range of powerful applications and studytheir social impact.This panel will discuss and propose ideas for a GrandChallenge project in Social Presence with a 5 to 10 yearhorizon, to reach a consensus on the key objectives andquestions addressed by Presence.

