If you’re familiar with the online world, you’re probably not a stranger to the term ‘metaverse’. On the back of Zuckerberg’s Meta rebrand, the idea of a fully functioning 3D world is being brought to life. The only problem is, can we balance innovation with responsibility?
In Greek, the term ‘Meta’ is translated to ‘beyond’. This sums up the direction we’re heading in when we think about the potential of a second life in a Web3-powered universe. Unlike the online experiences we once knew, the metaverse is not one place. As an all-consuming continuum, it has the ability to transform communication, business and all ecosystems alike.
The question is, how will the metaverse transform the online experience? With a 212% increase in metaverse-related mentions in 2022 alone, it won’t be long before we all interact with the 3D world in some shape or form.
The metaverse is changing the online experience
The term metaverse was first coined by science fiction author Neal Stephenson in the hit sci-fi novel Snow Crash.
Describing a wild dystopian future where people spent large amounts of time in a fully functioning virtual universe, Stephenson predicted that the metaverse would transform how we communicate, work and trade assets.
However, as we move into a modern-day metaverse, the scope of potential is much larger. On the back of VR/AR development, gaming companies, retail brands and online tech giants like Meta are quickly commercialising the metaverse, creating an environment where consumers can communicate and collaborate as they game, shop and experience exciting live events.
As virtual reality enters the mainstream, the metaverse could one day replace social media as we know it. However, while we continue to adopt avatar-based personas and communicate with friends from outer space or under the ocean, how realistic is the future of online social connection?
With great power comes great responsibility. As the metaverse opens up doors to unlimited creative possibilities, it also opens the doors to new privacy concerns, grounds for discrimination and questions about ownership.
Are we really in control of our own metaverse journey? Stick with us as we deconstruct the idea of a responsible metaverse and reveal how design can build in the ethics we desperately need.
Is the metaverse unethical?
The potential of the metaverse may outweigh initial concerns, but it’s important to consider the possible side effects associated with a virtual tomorrow.
Issues like privacy leaks, centralisation of tech power and the commercialisation of online platforms already plague our current digital world. As tech giants and key corporate players now set their sights on the metaverse, could a 3D utopia become extremely unethical? And can design help overcome this?
Identity and discrimination
One of the key selling points of the metaverse is the idea that you can be whoever you want to be. Entering a virtual platform as an avatar, every person in the metaverse has the ability to construct their own digital identity.
From facial features to fashion freedom, the metaverse promotes full creative expression. However, while it is liberating to create the ‘perfect’ version of yourself, could this add to an already unrealistic standard of social media beauty? According to Dove, 60% of females already claim that their real appearance doesn't match how they appear online. With the ability to completely ‘delete’ all insecurities when creating an avatar, could the metaverse skyrocket a self-confidence epidemic?
Freedom of creative expression also allows room for discrimination. Users will naturally create avatars that are based on their own biases and influences. According to researchers, on platforms such as Roblox and Fortnite, female and dark-skinned avatars are in less demand by users.
This raises the question of inclusive representation within the metaverse. As designers and developers continue to build worlds that socially isolate certain user groups, do all players enjoy the same levels of creative expression? Or are those choices shaped by agenda-driven platform design?
Privacy and harassment
Did you know that in just 20 minutes of using a virtual reality headset, tech giants can harvest over two million data points made up of biometric and physiological information?
It makes sense that 45% of metaverse users are concerned about their data privacy in a virtual setting. However, VR pioneers like Meta have invested less than $50 million into privacy research in the last decade.
The number of brands and businesses operating within the metaverse continues to grow, raising concerns about how they gather personal user data and who will have access to it in the future. With such a lack of control over data sharing in the metaverse, many users are concerned that a rise in cyberhacking could make them vulnerable to data theft and the breaching of personal information.
There’s also the debate of privacy vs pseudonymity to consider in a digital setting: with the ability to create a whole new persona in a virtual world, could the metaverse become a playing field for predators, especially on platforms like Fortnite and Minecraft that are dominated by young users?
Biased design
Designers and developers will also have to confront their own biases when constructing an ethical metaverse.
The key difference between successful UX design for a website or app as opposed to the metaverse is immersivity. Metaverse designers are not only prioritising functionality, but constructing a real life digital society. With that comes the question of a designer agenda or unconscious bias. In order to design a fully functioning world, developers must approach metaverse design with an objective view.
“When you pick up those tools — connectivity, persistence, identity — you are either going to design that society on purpose, or by accident,” says leading virtual designer, Raph Koster.
Unlike any other online experience, the metaverse is closest to true human reality. Therefore, each and every design choice will have a consequence that could potentially make or break a user’s experience.
“Even macro-level consequences of their design decisions will take on new physicality in the metaverse.” says Benjamin Bertram Goldman, Director at InVision Films. “In the metaverse imbalances and inequality might manifest as mass migrations of avatars across barren planes because they can’t afford to live in a populated centre. In other words, the consequences of unethical design will manifest much more profoundly.”
Can the metaverse be developed responsibly?
The metaverse is still a relatively new phenomenon for designers, developers, regulators and users to get their heads around. As we move forward, it’s important to keep identifying the potential side effects of a growing metaverse and tackle them head-on.
“We are able to learn from the mistakes made with social media and prevent their recurrence by involving and advocating for the users, as well as encouraging responsible design decisions,” say UX designers at BunnyFoot, a UX and research design agency. “Rather than questioning only if a platform is useful or enjoyable, we should also question whether everyone will be able to use it and whether its existence could impact groups differently.”
Prioritising child safety
One area of ethical metaverse design that is being prioritised is child safety. After 72% of parents familiar with the metaverse raised a flag of concern for their children, key pioneering platforms like Horizon Worlds have taken steps to ensure child safety in their newest update.
Personal Boundary offers a set of customisable controls that Horizon Worlds users can interact with, aiming to give people more control when using their VR products.
With the ability to create a 4-foot boundary between your avatar and other users, Personal Boundary can reduce the number of unwanted interactions and scare off potential predators.
“By preventing avatars from coming within a set distance of each other, Personal Boundary creates more personal space for people and makes it easier to avoid unwanted interactions,” says Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. “We’ll continue to iterate and make improvements as we learn more about how Personal Boundary impacts people’s experiences in VR.”
A Code of Ethics for the Metaverse
The future of metaverse design could also consult a code of ethics. While an official code is yet to be released, the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics has released its version of what an ethical metaverse could look like.
From showing respect to other users to respecting privacy, the code aims to maintain ethics and ensure a safe virtual environment for all people who enter.
An ethical tomorrow?
The next era of technological transformation will be defined by the metaverse continuum. As the virtual world continues to evolve, our online experience will never be the same again.
An ethical future requires users, brands, developers and regulators to co-exist together in a decentralised ecosystem. No one entity can be in charge, and each user must have control over their own journey. Designing ethics, control over privacy and autonomy into the metaverse is a cross-industry conversation that requires collaboration and a thoughtful approach.
Executive Director of Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Don Heider, states that responsible metaverse design is still far off.
“It’s a ‘wild west’ right now,” he says. “So the question is, how’s it going to be regulated? How responsible are companies going to be?”
While today’s metaverse may reflect the injustices of the real world, it does however present a new opportunity for designers to create a new, ethically-charged society. Achieving this will require practice, precision and new levels of user advocacy, but an inclusive virtual future could be on the horizon.
