Individuals are fundamentally motivated to construct shared understandings with others, or shared realities. Virtual environments show promise in constructing shared experiences that reflect everyday interactions. However, when shared knowledge is influenced by Whiteness—a deeply ingrained racist system—such realities can be distorted. This multi-method dissertation explores the intersection of Whiteness, systemic racism, and virtual reality (VR) as a tool for promoting environmental justice. The first study involves semi-structured interviews to co-design a VR time travel narrative about environmental racism. A pilot test examines the correlation between source credibility and the construction of shared reality with a virtual agent. The final study, a laboratory experiment, uses the co-designed VR narrative to investigate the underlying mechanisms of shared reality. Guided by shared reality theory and critical Whiteness studies, this dissertation demonstrates the potential of VR to disrupt entrenched systemic racism by fostering new understandings and motivating support for environmental justice efforts.
