Amplification of Addictive New Media Features in the Metaverse

2024-01-07

arXiv.org

AI Summary

This study systematically examines the dual addictive effects of virtual reality (VR) in the metaverse—both exacerbating media addiction and offering potential for psychological intervention. It investigates how immersive interactivity reinforces addictive mechanisms, how recommendation algorithms accelerate creativity erosion and social polarization, and associated privacy, security, and ethical risks. Method: Integrating media evolution theory with emerging media addiction frameworks, the study employs cross-platform comparative analysis (social media/VR/gamification), sociotechnical modeling of recommendation systems’ societal impacts, and systematic literature review—the first such synthesis in metaverse addiction research. Contribution: The work identifies native metaverse-specific addiction pathways, uncovers novel cognitive and sociopolitical risk dimensions driven by algorithmic mediation, and pinpoints critical empirical gaps requiring validation. It further advocates for developing metaverse-native addiction assessment metrics and an ethically grounded governance framework tailored to immersive, persistent, and embodied digital environments.

Technology Category

• Application Domains: Humanities & Computational Social Science
• Humans and AI: Game Design — Virtual Humans, NPCs and Autonomous Characters
• Search and Optimization: Metareasoning and Metaheuristics

Application Category

• Social Networks and Social Media: Media and governance, opinion dynamics, filter bubbles, polarization
• Web Mining and Content Analysis: Web data quality in the era of algorithmically-generated content
• Responsible Web: Human-perceived consequences of algorithmic deployment on the web

Abstract

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.

Problem

• Examining VR's addictive potential and therapeutic applications in metaverse
• Analyzing how immersive media features contribute to addiction risks
• Exploring dual nature of VR for both harm and treatment

Innovation

• Literature review and content analysis of VR features
• Algorithmic solutions for curating diverse content
• Adapting addiction models for immersive media challenges