Metaverse, Social Etiquette, and Societal Norms

Meet me in the Metaverse x

The Metaverse is often viewed as a distant, or perhaps now not so distant, future. A society akin to Ready Player One where our life goals and purpose are directly linked to a virtual world. However, the concept of the Metaverse is less tangible than this. It’s best to view the Metaverse as an umbrella term for technological intervention in our daily lives. Plainly, the Metaverse is virtual public space - the combination of virtual technology and social interactions. In these spaces, we can feel present, create new forms of engagement and social etiquette. Remember Second Life from the early 2000s? In this game, players could create an avatar and interact with others in a virtual world. We can view spaces such as gaming platforms, social media, Zoom and VR all as elements that make up the Metaverse. These are, in essence, spaces where we are not constrained by physical boundaries but are instead hosted by technology.

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Behind the Screen: Who am I?

Hello! My name is Catrin Hâf and I’m an avid creative technology enthusiast. I have a background in CGI and VFX and have done extensive research into creative technology - particularly looking into the Metaverse and future technological trends. I have published work in the tech field and I currently I work as a CGI producer so I am always keeping up with creative technology trends.

How would you explain the Metaverse to your Mum?

The Metaverse is an umbrella term used to describe technologically aided public spaces. This includes a Zoom call, social media as well as VR spaces. In my research I found that the term ‘Metaverse’ needs to be used a bit more loosely than the Silicon Valley type dream that it’s often portrayed as. We can see the concept of the Metaverse starting back with instances such as the novel Snow Crash as Metaverse themes have often been reflected or driven by science fiction. Importantly, to understand and define the Metaverse we have to look, not only forwards but also backwards, to the concepts and ideas that have developed through art and technology over the years.

We’re now experiencing a bit of a gold rush with commercial hype surrounding all things Metaverse. In recent years we’ve seen Facebook rebrand to Meta, the rise of NFTs and the use of generative AI. These influxes and developments in technology can seem a bit overwhelming, but the important thing to remember is: the Metaverse is, was and will be. It’s best to find the fun in these technologies and engage with them in prosocial ways - whether that be having a weekly FaceTime with your family or constructing your own virtual world in VR - there is a place for everyone to engage and gain from. Definitely when we introduce social technology, we also introduce the possibility for harm, so it’s important we assess Metaverse technologies ethically and use them in a responsible way.

What interests you the most about the possibilities of the Metaverse?

I think the Metaverse can really be used for prosocial goals. To connect people with others and with spaces that can aid mental wellbeing and to give people more freedom. After the pandemic, we saw more flexibility in workplaces. Now many companies allow employees to work remotely if needed, giving parents, commuters and travellers freedom to live their lives with more ease. If we critically think about how Metaverse technologies can positively impact the lives of the everyday person, we can as a society and as developers and thinkers, morph the influx of these technologies in ways that are beneficial to people.

What do you hate the most about the current crop of centralized Gaming/VR industry?

As with centralisation, we of course see trends being driven by a very small group of developers and companies. For the most part, large players in the gaming and VR industry are of course driven by profit so narratives in design will reflect this. It’s likely then that large companies that have a big impact in this space have less freedom to be playful with the technology, to try and fail in ways that small companies and small creators can.

This leaves us with an inherent difficulty to find uniqueness in Metaverse spaces. When spaces are designed for profit, they’re not designed specifically for user wellbeing, which I think is where we’re going to suffer. Understanding ethics in the Metaverse is and will be key for allowing users to interact with technology in a safe way. Because of the centralisation of the gaming and VR industry, we lack diversity in the steering of the technology and the sorts of outputs that are created. This is why I think design should go hand in hand with ethics and diversity in the Metaverse.

Thanks for your time! Any final words?

Something that I am exploring in this realm is the changing and adapting social etiquette that evolves in Metaverse spaces. As we find new ways of connecting through technology, we also may experience a bit of worry or annoyance at social behaviours. The fact is that technology is advancing rapidly in areas where we don't necessarily have a social script yet. I’ve been in professional meetings where the person on the other end of the Teams call is casually eating a full meal. Or for example, when I dash to grab a cup of tea I instinctively mute myself, but for others, they keep the camera and mic on.

We're still figuring out the etiquette for these new virtual spaces, and it's pretty amusing to see how differently we all navigate them. Observing social etiquette and the slightly awkward stage of figuring it out in Metaverse spaces is something that we can all relate to. As we have quite a centralised base of companies creating mainstream Metaverse technology, it’ll be interesting to see if the lack of diversity subconsciously impacts how the etiquettes are formed - or perhaps we users are part guinea pig / part creator in this. If we look at VR spaces, there have been instances of users getting very uncomfortable when others have gotten too close to them. Throughout different cultures, attitudes to person space differ, but then what happens when we feel present through immersion in virtual spaces?

Different attitudes from our physical lives may apply but in a virtual world we may have completely different takes. Social etiquette in the Metaverse is an ethical question, but on whose ideas do we decide is the norm? With centralisation it’s likely that spaces will have similar frameworks for us to work from. But with negative situations already happening, perhaps we as users will have to figure this out as we go. In our rapidly evolving digital landscape the metaverse is only as good as we make it — so let’s dive in, play nice, and create a virtual world where everyone can thrive.