Amplification of Addictive New Media Features in the Metaverse

• Main Authors: Bojic, Ljubisa, Matthes, Joerg, Cabarkapa, Milan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 07-01-2024
• Subjects: Computer Science - Artificial Intelligence; Computer Science - Computers and Society
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2401.03461

The emergence of the metaverse, envisioned as a hyperreal virtual universe
facilitating boundless human interaction, stands to revolutionize our
conception of media, with significant impacts on addiction, creativity,
relationships, and social polarization. This paper aims to dissect the
addictive potential of the metaverse due to its immersive and interactive
features, scrutinize the effects of its recommender systems on creativity and
social polarization, and explore potential consequences stemming from the
metaverse development. We employed a literature review methodology, drawing
parallels from the research on new media platforms and examining the
progression of reality-mimicking features in media from historical perspectives
to understand this transformative digital frontier. The findings suggest that
these immersive and interactive features could potentially exacerbate media
addiction. The designed recommender systems, while aiding personalization and
user engagement, might contribute to social polarization and affect the
diversity of creative output. However, our conclusions are based primarily on
theoretical propositions from studies conducted on existing media platforms and
lack empirical support specific to the metaverse. Therefore, this paper
identifies a critical gap requiring further research, through empirical studies
focused on metaverse use and addiction and exploration of privacy, security,
and ethical implications associated with this burgeoning digital universe. As
the development of the metaverse accelerates, it is incumbent on scholars,
technologists, and policymakers to navigate its multilayered impacts
thoughtfully to balance innovation with societal well-being.