Exploring the Darkverse: A Multi-Perspective Analysis of the Negative Societal Impacts of the Metaverse
Yogesh Kumar Dwivedi, Nir Kshetri, Laurie Hughes, Nripendra Pratap Rana, Abdullah Mohammed Baabdullah, Arpan Kumar Kar, Alex A. Koohang, Samuel Ribeiro Navarrete, Nina Belei, Janarthanan Balakrishnan, Sriparna Basu, Abhishek Behl, Gareth H. Davies, Vincent Dutot, Rohita Dwivedi, Leighton Evans, Reto Felix, Richard Foster-Fletcher, Mihalis Giannakis, Ashish Kumar Gupta · Information Systems Frontiers · 2023
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.