Ethics of the Metaverse

On October 28th, Facebook announced that they would be rebranding as Meta—a nod to their transition into metaverse technologies. According to NPR, the metaverse Facebook hopes to create would exist as “a world of endless, interconnected virtual communities where people can meet, work and play, using virtual reality headsets, augmented reality glasses, smartphone apps or other devices” (Gillieron, 2021). However, while Facebook has paraded the plausibility of a virtual world, critics have been vocal about the dangers it poses. In fact, upon investigation, it is clear that Facebook’s venture into the metaverse will be one that endangers the health, safety, and welfare of the public, and specifically the youth—violating a fundamental canon of the National Society of Professional Engineers (National Society of Professional Engineers, 2019).

Primarily, the metaverse will pose a threat to public health by enhancing the already addictive draws of technology, something about which Facebook heard its fair share of complaints in Congress this past month. Today, one in ten Americans meet the criteria for social media addiction, characterized as “being overly concerned about social media, driven by an uncontrollable urge to log on to or use social media, and devoting so much time and effort to social media that it impairs other important life areas” (Addiction Center, 2021). Social media addiction is especially impactful to our youth, who account for the majority of social media usage (London School of Economics, 2017). Furthermore, studies have shown that when we fully immerse ourselves into media, it becomes even more addictive. For example, VR gaming, which is the closest thing we have to a metaverse at this time, has proven to be even more dangerous to users than typical video games. While players exhibit the same symptoms of addiction as with typical gaming—such as depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders—there is the added risk that VR games may “damage the brain in a way that people will not be able to distinguish between VR and reality” (Rajan, 2018). This information is startling and demonstrates Facebook’s willingness to endanger its users for a profit.

Additionally, there are concerns over how users will treat others in a virtual world considering the harmful interactions seen on social media today. Since the inception of social media, cyberbullying and its effect on the youth has been alarming. Statistics show that about one in two teens have experienced cyberbullying in their lifetime, which places them at a 50% higher risk for thoughts of suicide (Enough is Enough). These statistics portray what happens when bullying occurs through a screen—what happens when it becomes their reality? A study published in the Journal of School Violence found that “a majority of victims who had experienced both forms of bullying reported that being traditionally bullied was worse than being cyberbullied”; however, the potential for more frequent attacks alongside an unlimited audience size contributed significantly to the harm done by cyberbullying (Corby, 2019). By establishing a metaverse, we are opening the door for harassment with the impact of traditional bullying, alongside the frequency and audience of cyberbullying. This can only maximize the damage done to our youth through media.

Lastly, it is concerning that Facebook—currently without any competitors in their venture—may have full control over a new reality, albeit virtual. Even high-ranking Facebook executives have spoken out regarding this matter, including John Carmack, a Consulting CTO for the company. Carmack is under the impression that one poor decision by Facebook in their design of the metaverse could greatly impact users, specifically stating “I just don’t believe that one player—one company—winds up making all the right decisions for this” (Orland, 2021). Monopolies are already detrimental enough in the real world; for a company to have full control of their own reality is unimaginable.

Overall, it is important to generate discourse in the face of new technologies and investigate the ethics behind the things which revolutionize society. If we are not skeptical of progress, we may soon find ourselves living in an unpleasant reality that is too late to change. The metaverse is not predetermined to be bad in the same way that it is not predetermined to harm society—however, the engineers responsible for its creation must demonstrate great care in their work if they are to uphold the ethics of their profession.

References

[1] Rajan, A. V., Nassiri, N., Akre, V., Ravikumar, R., Nabeel, A., Buti, M., & Salah, F. (2018). Virtual reality gaming addiction. 2018 Fifth HCT Information Technology Trends (ITT). doi:10.1109/ctit.2018.8649547

[2] Gillieron, L. (2021, October 29). Facebook wants to lean into the metaverse. here’s what it is and how it will work. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/2021/10/28/1050280500/what-metaverse-is-and-how-it-will-work

[3] Enough is Enough: Cyberbullying. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://enough.org/stats_cyberbullying

[4] Orland, K. (2021, October 29). John Carmack issues some words of warning for Meta and its metaverse plans. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/10/john-carmack-sounds-a-skeptical-note-over-metas-metaverse-plans/

[5] National Society of Professional Engineers (n.d.). Code of ethics. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics

[6] Addiction Center. (2021, December 17). Social Media Addiction. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/social-media-addiction/

[7] London School of Economics. (2017, July). A guide to social media platforms and Demographics. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://info.lse.ac.uk/staff/divisions/communications-division/digital-communications-team/assets/documents/guides/A-Guide-To-Social-Media-Platforms-and-Demographics.pdf

[8] Corby, E., Campbell, M., Spears, B., Slee, P., Butler, D., & Kift, S. (2015). Students’ perceptions of their own victimization: A youth voice perspective. Journal of School Violence, 15(3), 322-342. doi:10.1080/15388220.2014.996719