The literature I know defines social presence as something that has only partially to do with technology (and Virtual Reality) [0]. The advantage of VR is that it can enhance the sense of immersivity in some circumstances [1]. [0] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01587919.2017.13... [1] https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/handle/10125/50061

Here is a talk I gave a few years ago - I haven’t kept up tho so there may be better sources now.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_5w8xbeCc2Q