Posthuman Aesthetics: Colour, Comfort, and Consumer Acceptance in Extended Reality
Abstract:
This article examines the evolution of posthuman aesthetics in extended reality (XR) technology marketing through analysis of visual representations from early Metaverse media imagery (2021-2023) to contemporary XR brand campaigns (2023-2024). Using qualitative visual content analysis and systematic colour palette extraction, the research investigates how technology companies strategically deploy colour, recurring themes, and environmental context to facilitate consumer acceptance of human-technology integration. The analysis reveals a fundamental shift from cold, synthetic posthuman imagery toward aesthetic modulation strategies that pair minimal, high-tech product visuals with warm, tactile environments when humans appear. This transformation reflects the emergence of “Cozy Tech” aesthetics, a design approach that domesticates advanced technologies within familiar contexts, while simultaneously grappling with uncanny valley effects that arise from artificial human representations. Through analysis of 46 marketing images from Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3/3S campaigns, contextualized against earlier Metaverse media representations, this study demonstrates how visual culture serves as a critical mediator in society’s negotiation of posthuman transformation. The findings reveal that contemporary extend ed reality marketing employs deliberate aesthetic softening to reframe posthuman embodiment as comfortable evolution rather than alienating rupture, suggesting that successful technological adoption requires not merely functional innovation but the emotional work of making the unfamiliar feel familiar. This research contributes to understanding how colour, comfort, and visual design actively shape consumer acceptance of emerging technol ogies that fundamentally alter human experience and embodiment.
