This study quantitatively analyzes the structural characteristics of user communities within Social Virtual Reality (Social VR) platforms supporting head-mounted displays (HMDs), based on large-scale log data. By detecting and evaluating community structures from data on substantial interactions (defined as prolonged co-presence in the same virtual space), we found that Social VR platforms tend to host numerous, relatively small communities characterized by strong internal cohesion and limited inter-community connections. This finding contrasts with the large-scale, broadly connected community structures typically observed in conventional Social Networking Services (SNS). Furthermore, we identified a user segment capable of mediating between communities, despite these users not necessarily having numerous direct connections. We term this user segment `community hoppers' and discuss their characteristics. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the community structures that emerge within the unique communication environment of Social VR and the roles users play within them.

翻译：本研究基于大规模日志数据，定量分析了支持头戴式显示器（HMD）的社交虚拟现实（Social VR）平台中用户社区的结构特征。通过从大量交互数据（定义为在同一虚拟空间中长时间共处）中检测和评估社区结构，我们发现社交虚拟现实平台倾向于承载众多规模相对较小的社区，这些社区具有内部凝聚力强、社区间连接有限的特点。这一发现与通常在传统社交网络服务（SNS）中观察到的大规模、广泛连接的社区结构形成对比。此外，我们识别出一类能够在社区间起到中介作用的用户群体，尽管这些用户未必拥有大量的直接连接。我们将此类用户群体称为“社区跳跃者”并讨论了其特征。这些发现有助于更深入地理解在社交虚拟现实独特的交流环境中涌现的社区结构以及用户在其中扮演的角色。