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Journals / Yeni Medya Elektronik Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 10 Sayı: 3

DECENTRALIZING THE GAZE: FEMINIST GAZE, INTERFACE, AND SPATIAL ORGANIZATION IN THE VR180 DOCUMENTARY SERIES COURAGE TO QUESTION

BAKIŞI MERKEZSİZLEŞTİRMEK: VR180 BELGESEL DİZİSİ COURAGE TO QUESTION ÜZERİNDEN FEMİNİST BAKIŞ, ARAYÜZ VE MEKÂNSAL ORGANİZASYON

İrem Çoban(İSTANBUL BİLGİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ, İLETİŞİM FAKÜLTESİ)0000-0001-8319-1356
Pages
572–600
Publication Date
2026-09-30
DOI
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

In conclusion, the study aims to contribute to the dialogue between VR studies and feminist film theory by offering an analytical framework for explaining the relationship between the spatial organization of the gaze, its guidance by the interface, and forms of feminist subjectification in VR180 experiences.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:This study examines how gaze is designed in virtual reality (VR) environments and how this design can be interpreted through a feminist lens, using the four-part VR180 documentary series Courage to Question (2019), produced by Google, as a case study.
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Key Findings & Data:While VR studies mostly focus on immersion, sense of presence, and empathy, the limited visual field of VR180 and the gaze it directs have been studied to a limited extent.
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Conclusion & Impact:In conclusion, the study aims to contribute to the dialogue between VR studies and feminist film theory by offering an analytical framework for explaining the relationship between the spatial organization of the gaze, its guidance by the interface, and forms of feminist subjectification in VR180 experiences.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:2019 Verileri
⚙️Variables:VR180 Belgesel Yapımı · Courage to Question · Arayüz Tasarımı

Abstract

This study examines how gaze is designed in virtual reality (VR) environments and how this design can be interpreted through a feminist lens, using the four-part VR180 documentary series Courage to Question (2019), produced by Google, as a case study. While VR studies mostly focus on immersion, sense of presence, and empathy, the limited visual field of VR180 and the gaze it directs have been studied to a limited extent. Accordingly, this study analyzes the design of the gaze in the VR180 experience by bringing together feminist film theory, phenomenological audience approaches, and interface theory. Close reading is used as a method in this qualitative study. The analysis centers on three main axes: the spatial organization of the gaze, attention-directing strategies, and embodied spectatorship. The findings are that, based on the sample, the VR180 format allows some spatial exploration of gaze. Visually oriented gaze is always directed to visual composition, character placement, subjective camera use, text areas, and narrative emphasis. It concludes that VR180 produces a relational viewing structure at the intersection of directed freedom, embodied participation, and feminist subjectification. To explain this structure, the study uses the concept of a “semi-decentralized feminist gaze”. It is a visual regime in which the viewer is positioned in a guided perceptual field governed by technological orientation, spatial arrangement, and individual visual choice. Within this structure, the women represented in the narrative emerge as speaking and political subjects rather than passive objects of representation. In conclusion, the study aims to contribute to the dialogue between VR studies and feminist film theory by offering an analytical framework for explaining the relationship between the spatial organization of the gaze, its guidance by the interface, and forms of feminist subjectification in VR180 experiences.

Özet

Bu çalışma, Google tarafından üretilen dört bölümlük VR180 belgesel serisi Courage to Question (2019) örneklemi üzerinden sanal gerçeklik (VR) ortamlarında bakışın nasıl tasarlandığını ve bu tasarımın feminist bir perspektiften nasıl yorumlanabileceğini incelemektedir. VR çalışmaları çoğunlukla daldırma, varlık (bulunma) hissi ve empati üretimi üzerine yoğunlaşırken, VR180 formatının sunduğu sınırlı görsel alanın bakışı nasıl yönlendirdiği ve nasıl yapılandırdığı daha sınırlı biçimde ele alınmaktadır. Bu doğrultuda çalışma, feminist film kuramı, fenomenolojik izleyici yaklaşımları ve arayüz kuramını bir araya getirerek VR180 deneyimindeki bakış tasarımını analiz etmektedir. Çalışma, nitel araştırma yaklaşımı doğrultusunda yakın okuma yöntemiyle gerçekleştirilmektedir. Analiz bakışın mekânsal organizasyonu, dikkat yönlendirme stratejileri ve bedenlenmiş izleyicilik olmak üzere üç temel eksen etrafında yürütülmektedir. Bulgular, örneklem temelinde VR180 formatının bakışa belirli ölçüde mekânsal keşif imkânı sunduğunu, ancak görsel kompozisyon, karakter yerleşimi, öznel kamera kullanımı, metin alanları ve anlatısal vurgu aracılığıyla bakışın sürekli olarak yönlendirildiğini göstermektedir. Bu doğrultuda ortaya çıkan bakışın yönlendirilmiş özgürlük, bedenlenmiş katılım ve feminist özneleşmenin kesişiminde işleyen ilişkisel bir yapı ürettiği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Çalışma, bu yapıyı açıklamak amacıyla “yarı-merkezsiz feminist bakış” kavramını önermektedir. Bu kavram, sınırsız bir bakış üretmekten ziyade, izleyiciyi teknolojik yönlendirme, mekânsal düzenleme ve bireysel görsel tercihin bakışı birlikte şekillendirdiği yönlendirilmiş bir algısal alana konumlandırmaktadır. Bu yapı içinde anlatıda temsil edilen kadınlar, edilgen temsil nesneleri olmaktan çıkarak kendi deneyimlerini dile getiren politik özneler olarak öne çıkmaktadır. Sonuç olarak, çalışma VR180 deneyimlerinde bakışın mekânsal organizasyonu, arayüz tarafından yönlendirilmesi ve feminist özneleşme biçimleri arasındaki ilişkiyi açıklamaya yönelik analitik bir çerçeve sunarak VR çalışmaları ile feminist film kuramı arasındaki diyaloğa katkı sağlamayı hedeflemektedir.

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Cite This Article

Çoban, İ. (2026). DECENTRALIZING THE GAZE: FEMINIST GAZE, INTERFACE, AND SPATIAL ORGANIZATION IN THE VR180 DOCUMENTARY SERIES COURAGE TO QUESTION. Yeni Medya Elektronik Dergisi, Cilt: 10 Sayı: 3, 572–600. https://ajindex.com/articles/1577723

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