Exploring the darkverse: a multi-perspective analysis of the negative societal impacts of the metaverse

Dwivedi, Y. K. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5547-9990, Kshetri, N., Hughes, L., Rana, N. P., Baabdullah, A. M., Kar, A. K., Koohang, A., Ribeiro-Navarrete, S., Belei, N., Balakrishnan, J., Basu, S., Behl, A., Davies, G. H., Dutot, V., Dwivedi, R., Evans, L., Felix, R., Foster-Fletcher, R., Giannakis, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5590-1891, Gupta, A., Hinsch, C., Jain, A., Patel, N. J., Jung, T., Juneja, S., Kamran, Q. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2571-8786, Mohamed Ab, S., Pandey, N., Papagiannidis, S., Raman, R., Rauschnabel, P. A., Tak, P., Taylor, A., Tom Dieck, M. C., Viglia, G., Wang, Y. and Yan, M. (2023) Exploring the darkverse: a multi-perspective analysis of the negative societal impacts of the metaverse. Information Systems Frontiers, 25 (5). pp. 2071-2114. ISSN 1572-9419 doi: 10.1007/s10796-023-10400-x

Abstract/Summary

The Metaverse has the potential to form the next pervasive computing archetype that can transform many aspects of work and life at a societal level. Despite the many forecasted benefits from the metaverse, its negative outcomes have remained relatively unexplored with the majority of views grounded on logical thoughts derived from prior data points linked with similar technologies, somewhat lacking academic and expert perspective. This study responds to the dark side perspectives through informed and multifaceted narratives provided by invited leading academics and experts from diverse disciplinary backgrounds. The metaverse dark side perspectives covered include: technological and consumer vulnerability, privacy, and diminished reality, human-computer interface, identity theft, invasive advertising, misinformation, propaganda, phishing, financial crimes, terrorist activities, abuse, pornography, social inclusion, mental health, sexual harassment and metaverse-triggered unintended consequences. The paper concludes with a synthesis of common themes, formulating propositions, and presenting implications for practice and policy. [Abstract copyright: © The Author(s) 2023.]

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/112529
Identification Number/DOI	10.1007/s10796-023-10400-x
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Department of Psychology
Uncontrolled Keywords	Metaverse, Unintended consequences, Negative consequences, Virtual reality, Dark side of the metaverse, Second life, Virtual world
Publisher	Springer
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