Are Virtual Communities (Like The Metaverse) a Force For Good in the Real World?

Are Virtual Communities (Like The Metaverse) a Force For Good in the Real World?

Introduction 

A virtual community is a social network made up of individuals who interact via social media and may go beyond political and geographic boundaries to pursue shared interests or objectives. Social networking platform-based online communities are among the most widely used virtual communities (Deligöz, 2022). Traditionally, a community is described as an area that is limited by geography (neighborhoods, villages, etc.). Virtual communities do not meet the basic definition of communities because they are often geographically distant. Online communities with a physical connection are represented through community websites such as Metaverse. 

Today, Metaverse has become a popular debated topic. Some people believe that the Metaverse has the potential to play a larger role in society due to its capacity to broaden our horizons, connect with people we would not have otherwise met, explore new locations, provide access to public services and healthcare, and generally create an extension of the real world we live in, the metaverse has the potential to play a larger role in society. However, others doubt whether virtual communities are a force for good in the real world if people spend all their time communicating in virtual communities not communicating in the real world how will this effect on the surroundings might be negatively impact the surroundings? Critics of Metaverse argue that there is a possibility of being exposed to a range of detrimental or unpleasant stimuli in the metaverse, including violence, harassment, bullying, and false information (Mystakidis & Lympouridis, 2024). Therefore, this paper seeks to explore positive and negative impacts of virtual communities, particularly those within the Metaverse, present a multifaceted impact on the real world, influencing social, economic, and cultural spheres in both positive and negative ways. I will evaluate this argument based on the sources I have found and their reliability using the CRRAAB test we’ve learned in class. I will summarize the arguments for the causes and consequences of the increasing number of virtual communities and their relationship with the real world. The main two sources I will be use are “Metaverse rollout brings new security risks, challenges” by Shown Nichols and “Smart Immersive Learning Design in the Metaverse: A Theoretical Literature Review Synthesis” by Mystakidis, S.  & Lympouridis, V.  

Positive Implications of Metaverse  

The primary benefit of the metaverse is that it offers a global platform for global connections to people.  Oh et el. (2023) denotes that rapidly growing interconnectedness globally has cause alienation and loneliness of people from their communities. It also does not matter where a person lives, as a metaverse allows connecting with like-minded people. It might lead to the creation of new communities and any other type of social union that could become the driving force for mental health and holistic benefits. Moreover, the metaverse can stimulate societies to come up with new ways of social improvement and collaboration. For example, it is possible to host virtual international conferences, which can help connect people for discussing pressing issues and finding solutions. One of the examples is the SustainableMTech alliance developed by PwC. It combines multiple stakeholders to integrate state-of-the-art technology with social impact aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The coalition's main objectives are to develop proofs of concept, monitor advancements using creative approaches, and exert influence over global intergovernmental organizations. The strategy used by PwC shows how metaverse technology can promote cooperation and social change. Communities that might be disenfranchised or underrepresented in conventional physical spaces may find this to be very helpful.  

The metaverse is transforming how patient participation and preventive care are approached. Apollo Hospitals is one of the healthcare providers leading the way in utilizing this technology (Techstark 2023). ProHealth DeepX, its metaverse solution, fills the gap between clinical health information and reality. With the use of AI, our Cardiac Risk Score provides individualized insights to anticipate cardiac events and customize therapies for each patient. By giving consumers the ability to see their heart's health and wellness journey, this immersive experience transforms preventive healthcare by giving it a concrete and individualized feel. Metaverse have transformed education over the past few years, ushering in a period of unparalleled change. The world's first twin-campus metaverse project has been launched by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST to Launch World’s First Twin Campuses in Metaverse | the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, n.d.). Through this project, users will be able to virtually visit and traverse campuses that are in person. It ensures that academics and students can carry out their research and teaching without having to physically be on campus by addressing the issues of physical distance and travel constraints. Additionally, it redefines the way colleges offer chances for distant learning and research while providing an immersive and dynamic experience. In the field of education, UL Research Institutes, in partnership with the Office of Research Experiences and Education at UL Research Institutes, is enhancing safety science instruction via interactive digital twins on the web-based platform Xplorlabs (How The Metaverse Is Positively Transforming the Real World, 2023). The goal of the project is to empower educators and students in science and engineering by using digital twins in mixed reality, a development from a 2D web-based platform. Also, immersion learning and real-time interaction are made possible by this UL Safety-Verse component (Mystakidis & Lympouridis, 2024). Ultimately, the aim is to create a better understanding of the scientific concept for the students, enhanced engagement, a bridge between theory and practice and family culture, and a new trend towards group learning. This application example shows how broad the possibilities of Metaverse are in terms of its meaning for safety science and teaching. 

Negative Impacts of Metaverse 

With the Metaverse increasingly influencing a number of industries, from health to entertainment, work, and further education, it is vital to address potential threats and challenges that could result from further expansion. Social isolation, the digital divide, data privacy, and many more concerns are on the satisfactory side as we are still far from certain in this uncharted territory. Therefore, it is fundamental not to create a digital space that would not be safe, inclusive, and beneficial to all due to a lack of understanding. Hence, a comprehensive assessment, rather than a pull from a promising advanced technological utopia, is critical at this point because a new digital era could be just days away. 

Ensuring privacy is crucial when interacting online. Virtual community, however, provides little to no privacy security, particularly when children are engaged. Access to personal information is simple (Horgan, 2024; Welcome to the Metaverse, Everyone! "Virtual reality beckons big tech," 2021) and stolen, since users' photos and other personal information could be gathered by metaverse platforms, thereby exposing kids to even more privacy intrusions. According to Benoit-Kurtz, the issue of privacy becomes much more problematic when discussing children's use of virtual reality. He noted that the outdated Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) does not provide enough protections against the exponential growth in personal information that these environments will gather, nor does it cope with the future of technology. 

Apart from the potential privacy issue, using virtual reality can have a number of negative health impacts on us as well as unpleasant experiences. In the words of Anse, "exposure to virtual reality can disrupt the sensory system and cause symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, sweating, pallor, and loss of balance." It's customary to refer to these symptoms as "virtual reality disease" ("What are the risks of virtual reality and augmented reality, and the best practices recommended by ANSES? | Anses", n.d). It is challenging to stop these symptoms. The body is not moving realistically, but I believe the brain is. Motion sickness is the term for this sensation. Removing the headset could be the only solution. After a session, virtual reality can also temporarily alter a person's sensations, motions, and perceptual abilities, which can affect their dexterity and turning ability (Smith, 2022). Short-term impacts are not the only thing to be concerned about, though, as prolonged use of virtual reality neglects to maintain general health and increases obesity and cardiac problems. Most people avoid using this new technology because of this understanding. The goal of creating the Metaverse was to provide people a whole new way to interact, communicate, and work together with friends, family, coworkers, and more. However, with so many individuals utilizing this brand-new technology despite its mental complications, how can this be accomplished? 

Additionally, with the advancement of technology and the creation of augmented reality, criminals can now harm victims without having to be physically there. The physical limits of hardware could be reset by an attacker using a VR platform (Nicolas, 2022). As a result of this advancement, an unwary victim will 'accidentally' tumble down a series of steps that are real but that they were unaware were the mastermind's manipulation of the situation. Such incidents may result in fatalities or significant injuries. The VR platform may potentially be used by criminals to improve their capacity for crime. For example, they might direct a victim toward the criminal who is waiting for them or into oncoming traffic, which could result in an assault or murder (Nicolas, 2022). Senior threat researcher at Malwarebytes Christopher Boyd claimed that hackers may replace standard advertisements with strobing images intended to trigger epileptic seizures. This would be comparable to attacks targeting epilepsy foundations on social media and forums in general. These situations all show how important it is to prioritize the Metaverse's security as failing to do so will allow criminals to operate across more domains. 

The Metaverse's possible effects on a user's mind and general mental health are its most terrifying possibilities (Nicolas, 2022). As previously mentioned, the Metaverse offers a new platform for harassment. According to Christopher Boyd, sexual harassment and abuse are currently the main paths leading to physical exploitation in virtual reality, frequently with the assistance of lax or nonexistent security measures (Nicolas, 2022). He continued by saying that there are numerous solutions to this long-standing issue in virtual space. Former Linden Lab security officer Pearlman claimed to have encountered the "phantom timeline syndrome"; a condition that causes the lines separating the virtual and actual worlds to become hazier, while working on the VR platform Sansar (Nicolas, 2022).  She clarified that everything around her seemed like virtual reality, so even after leaving it, it is impossible to tell the difference between reality and virtual reality. She claimed that children growing up in the Metaverse were particularly at risk from this. Considering how much time the striking young mind spends on virtual reality and augmented reality platforms, Pearlman was worried that an attacker would mislead a youngster and instill incorrect views by providing false information. Consequently, the Metaverse keeps people online, it can also make mental health issues worse (Smith, 2022). Virtual and augmented reality platforms can provide a safe sanctuary for individuals suffering from schizophrenia. 

On the other hand, persistent misuse of these platforms may cause the patient to become more detached from reality and worsen their mental state. According to Dr. Daria Kuss, the Lead for the Cyberpsychology Research Group at Nottingham Trent University, abusing virtual reality, such as (Horizon Worlds), can also be linked, like normal internet abuse, to experiencing signs of mental illness like addiction, despair, and anxiety. If a particular balance is not maintained, those who are struggling in life may easily develop a virtual reality addiction as a means of escaping their issues. 

Conclusion 

The rise of virtual communities especially the Metaverse presents both the good side and the bad side. Although the Metaverse presents unparalleled opportunities for worldwide connectedness, fostering community, and creative solutions in a range of fields like education, healthcare, and social change, it also raises serious issues with safety, health, and privacy. The Metaverse's benefits are clear in its capacity to create immersive learning environments, encourage teamwork, and cross geographic divides. It is impossible to ignore the negative effects, though, which include potential for criminal exploitation, health hazards including virtual reality sickness, and privacy violations. As we traverse this digital frontier, it is critical that we perform in-depth analyses of the effects of virtual communities, examine the ethical implications, and put strong safeguards in place to protect people's privacy and well-being. We can maximize the Metaverse's potential while reducing its negative effects on society by critically analyzing the complex nature of virtual communities and adopting responsible behaviors. 

References 

Allam, Z., Sharifi, A., Bibri, S. E., Jones, D. S., & Krogstie, J. (2022). The metaverse as a virtual form of smart cities: Opportunities and challenges for environmental, economic, and social sustainability in urban futures. 

Smart Cities, 5(3), 771-801. Deligöz, K. (2022). Virtual Communities and Lifestyles. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. 

HKUST to Launch World’s First Twin Campuses in Metaverse | The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. (n.d.). https://hkust.edu.hk/news/research-and-innovation/hkust-launch-worlds-first-twin-campuses-metaverse 

Horgan, J. (2024, February 20). Should Big Tech’s Plan for a Metaverse Scare Us? Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/should-big-techs-plan-for-a-metaverse-scare-us/ 

How the metaverse is positively transforming the real world. (2023, November 16). World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/11/the-metaverse-use-cases-positively-transforming-the-real-world-one-virtual-step-at-a-time/ 

Mystakidis, S., & Lympouridis, V. (2024). Smart Immersive Learning Design in the Metaverse: A Theoretical Literature Review Synthesis. Between Myth and Reality: Where Metaverse in Education Stands. Springer. 

Techstark. (2023, November 21). The Dark Side of the Metaverse: How It Can Ruin Your Life and Society. Medium. https://medium.com/illumination/the-dark-side-of-the-metaverse-how-it-can-ruin-your-life-and-society ccb00d8eddf6#:~:text=Moreover%2C%20the%20metaverse%20can%20expose,%2C%20depression%2C%20or%20even%20psychosis 

Oh, H. J., Kim, J., Chang, J. J., Park, N., & Lee, S. (2023). Social benefits of living in the metaverse: The relationships among social presence, supportive interaction, social self-efficacy, and feelings of loneliness. Computers in Human Behavior, 139, 107498. 

Smith, S. (2022, February 10). Mental health online: will the metaverse just make everything worse? Dazed. https://www.dazeddigital.com/science-tech/article/55420/1/mental-health-online-internet-social-media-metaverse-illness-virtual-reality 

Nichols, S. (2022, February 7). Metaverse rollout brings new security risks, challenges. Security. https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/news/252513072/Metaverse-rollout-brings-new-security-risks-challenges.

What are the risks of virtual reality and augmented reality, and what. (2022, June 29). Anses - Agence Nationale De Sécurité Sanitaire De L’alimentation, De L’environnement Et Du Travail. https://www.anses.fr/en/content/what-are-risks-virtual-reality-and-augmented-reality-and-what-good-practices-does-anses