The metaverse revolution
lights and shadows
Abstract
Objetive: In today's world, people may perceive that the concept of the metaverse is not part of their lives, however, it may be closer than we think. From the use of virtual immersive glasses to the combination of different technologies such as artificial intelligence predictive languages, the scope of action has been widening to reach the "metaverse revolution". The aim of this article is to analyse the metaverse from a critical point of view to establish its pros and cons, presenting various reflections on its economic and social effects and its future viability.
Methodology: A non-systematic review of the literature has been carried out, focused on answering the research question: “What are the lights and shadows of the metaverse?” And, based on it, a critical reflection has been carried out to open a debate on this lights and shadows.
Results: The use of the metaverse has positive economic, cultural and social effects, facilitating the creation of business, the development of educational models and applications for the Smart world. But it also encounters problems related to security, privacy or ethics.
Limitations: A critical analysis is carried out that can be complemented with other qualitative and quantitative analyses.
Practical implications: Examples and arguments for and against the use and application of the metaverse are presented, stimulating new debates. In addition, some ideas for possible actions or policies to reduce the shadows of the metaverse are offered.
References
Agac, G., Sevim, F., Celik, O., Bostan, S., Erdem, R. y Yalcin, Y.I. (2023). Research hotspots, trends and opportunities on the metaverse in health education: a bibliometric analysis. Library Hi Tech. En prensa. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-04-2023-0168
Alderbashi, K.Y. (2023). The use of metaverse for delivering school education in the future in uae: advantages and challenges. Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, 12(6), 265-282. https://www.sciedupress.com/journal/index.php/jct/article/view/24832/15457
Aristegui Noticias Network (11 de septiembre de 2022). Disney apunta hacia el ‘metaverso’ como el futuro para contar historias. https://aristeguinoticias.com/1109/kiosko/disney-apunta-hacia-el-metaverso-como-el-futuro-para-contar-historias/
Babu, A. y Mohan, P. (2022). Impact of the metaverse on the digital future: people’s perspective. En 2022 7th international conference on communication and electronics systems (ICCES) (pp. 1576-1581). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCES54183.2022.9835951
Bao, L., Cai, T., Koenig, K., Fang, K., Han, J., Wang, J., Liu, Q., Lin, D., Cui, L., Luo, Y., Wang, Y., Li, L. y Wu, N. (2009). Learning and scientific reasoning. Science, 323(5914), 586-587. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1167740
Bibri, S.E. y Allam, Z. (2022). The metaverse as a virtual form of data-driven smart cities: the ethics of the hyper-connectivity, datafication, algorithmization, and platformization of urban society. Computational Urban Science, 2(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43762-022-00050-1
Borrás, P. (15 de agosto de 2022). Las pymes en el metaverso. El Economista. https://www.eleconomista.es/opinion/noticias/11907834/08/22/Las-pymes-en-el-metaverso.html
Buhalis, D. y Karatay, N. (2022). Mixed reality (MR) for generation z in cultural heritage tourism towards the metaverse. En J. Stienmetz, B. Ferrer-Rosell y D. Massimo (Eds.), Information and communication technologies in tourism 2022. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94751-4_2
Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) (2022). Facebook metaverse is unsafe. https://counterhate.com/research/facebooks-metaverse/?_ga=2.96213146.705182711.1690412244-387332368.169041224
Chen, Z., Wu, J., Gan, W. y Qi, Z. (2022). Metaverse security and privacy: an overview. En 2022 IEEE International Conference on Big Data (Big Data) (pp. 2950-2959). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/BigData55660.2022.10021112
Chen, W., Zhang, J. y Yu, Z. (2023). A bibliometric analysis of the use of the metaverse in education over three decades. International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education (IJICTE), 19(1), 1-16. http://doi.org/10.4018/IJICTE.322101
Cheng, R., Wu, N., Chen, S. y Han, B. (2022). Will metaverse be the next internet? vision, hype, and reality. IEEE network, 36(5), 197-204. https://doi.org/10.1109/MNET.117.2200055
Chow, A. (1 de septiembre de 2022). What Mark Zuckerberg revealed about his metaverse plans. Time. https://time.com/6210005/mark-zuckerberg-metaverse-future-joe-rogan/
Correia, S. (28 de marzo de 2022). Brands in the metaverse: the best case studies so far. Nexa. https://blog.digitalnexa.com/brands-in-the-metaverse-the-best-case-studies-so-far
Cruz, M., Oliveira, A. y Pinheiro A. (2023). ¿Meeting ourselves or other sides of us? Meta-analysis of the metaverse. Informatics, 10(2), artículo 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/informatics10020047
Cyrus, R. (24 de octubre de 2022). Why Meta’s virtual worlds are failing. The American Prospect. https://prospect.org/culture/why-metas-virtual-worlds-are-failing/
Damar, M. (2021). Metaverso shape of your life for future: a bibliometric snapshot. Journal of Metaverse, 1(1), 1-8. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/jmv/issue/67581/1051371
Duan, H., Li, J., Fan, S., Lin, Z., Wu, X. y Cai, W. (2021). Metaverse for social good: A university campus prototype. En Proceedings of the 29th ACM International Conference on Multimedia (MM '21) (pp. 15-161). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3474085.3479238
Dwivedi, Y., Hughes, L., Baabdullah, A., Ribeiro-Navarrete, S., Giannakis, M., Al-Debei, M. … y Wamba, S. F. (2022). Metaverse beyond the hype: multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy. International Journal of Information Management, 66, artículo 102542. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2022.102542
Estudante, A. y Dietrich, N. (2020). Using augmented reality to stimulate students and diffuse escape game activities to larger audiences. Journal of Chemical Education, 97(5), 1368-1374. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b00933
Fernández-Cruz, F.-J. y Fernández-Díaz, M.-J. (2016). Generation Z’s teachers and their digital skills. Comunicar, XXIV(46), 97-105. https://doi.org/10.3916/C46-2016-10
García, D. (29 de noviembre de 2022). El fail del metaverso puede salirle caro a LG: es la marca con más patentes. La Vanguardia. https://www.lavanguardia.com/andro4all/lg/el-fail-del-metaverso-puede-salirle-caro-a-lg-es-la-marca-con-mas-patentes
Gayozzo, P. (2021). ¿Qué es el transhumanismo? La ampliación del bienestar a través del futuro común del hombre y de la tecnología. Instituto de Estudios Transhumanistas, 2(1), 1-32. https://doi.org/10.52749/iet.v2i1.9
Gértrudix-Barrio, F. y Gértrudix-Barrio, M. (2012). Music in virtual worlds. Study on the representation spaces. Comunicar, XIX(38), 175-181. https://doi.org/10.3916/C38-2012-03-09
Gursoy, D, Malodia, S. y Dhir, A. (2022). The metaverse in the hospitality and tourism industry: an overview of current trends and future research directions. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 33(5), 527-534. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2022.2072504
Gutowski, P. y Kłos-Adamkiewicz, Z. (2020). Development of e-service virtual museum tours in Poland during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Procedia Computer Science, 176, 2375-2383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2020.09.303
Hirsch, P.B. (2022). Adventures in the metaverse. Journal of Business Strategy, 43(5), 332-336. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS-06-2022-0101
Huang, D., Ma, X. y Zhang, S. (2020). Performance analysis of the raft consensus algorithm for private blockchains. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, And Cybernetics: Systems, 50(1), 172-181. https://doi.org/10.1109/TSMC.2019.2895471
Hwang, G.J. y Chien, S.Y. (2022). Definition, roles, and potential research issues of the metaverse in education: an artificial intelligence perspective. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 3, 100082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2022.100082
Jamison, M. y Glavish, M. (17 de marzo de 2022). The dark side of the metaverse, part I. American Enterprise Institute (AEI). https://www.aei.org/technology-and-innovation/the-dark-side-of-the-metaverse-part-i/
Kraus, S., Breier, M., Lim, W. M., Dabić, M., Kumar, S., Kanbach, D., Mukherjee, D., Corvello, V., Piñeiro-Chousa, J., Liguori, E., Palacios-Marqués, D., Schiavone, F., Ferraris, A., Fernandes, C. y Ferreira, J. J. (2022). Literature reviews as independent studies: guidelines for academic practice. Review of Managerial Science, 16, 2577-2595. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-022-00588-8
Lee, B.-K. (2021). The metaverse world and our future. Review of Korea Contents Association, 19(1), 13-17. http://www.koreascience.or.kr/article/JAKO202119759273785.page
Liu, X. y Zhang, J. (2012). Foreign language learning through virtual communities. Energy Procedia, 17, 737-740. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2012.02.165
Markman, G.D. (2022). Will your study make the world a better place? Journal of Management Studies, 59, 1597-1603. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12843
Martínez, J. (6 de diciembre de 2022). Zara salta al metaverso con una colección "phygital" para Zepeto. Fashion United. https://fashionunited.es/noticias/moda/zara-salta-al-metaverso-con-una-coleccion-phygital-para-zepeto/2021120637332
Mello-Klein, C. (3 de noviembre de 2022). Why is Mark Zuckerberg's metaverse failing? Northeastern Global News. https://news.northeastern.edu/2022/11/03/metaverse-failure/
Minevich, M. (26 de agosto de 2022). A case study for the industry: LG investing in metaverse. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/markminevich/2022/08/26/a-case-study-for-the-industry-lg-investing-in-metaverse/
Montoro-Montarroso, A., Cantón-Correa, J., Rosso, P., Chulvi, B., Panizo-Lledot, Á., Huertas-Tato, J., Calvo-Figueras, B., Rementeria, M. J. y Gómez-Romero, J. (2023). Fighting disinformation with artificial intelligence: fundamentals, advances and challenges. Profesional de la Información, 32(3), artículo e320322. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2023.may.22
Mosco, V. (2023), Into the metaverse: technical challenges, social problems, utopian visions, and policy principles. Javnost - The Public, 30(2), 161-173. https://doi.org/10.1080/13183222.2023.2200688
Museo del Prado (2022). Visita virtual. https://www.museodelprado.es/en/virtual-tours
Narin, N.G. (2021). A content analysis of the metaverse articles. Journal of Metaverse, 1(1), 17-24. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/jmv/issue/67581/1051382
Oppenlaender, J. (2022). The perception of smart contracts for governance of the metaverse. Academic Mindtrek '22: Proceedings of the 25th International Academic Mindtrek Conference (pp. 1-8). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3569219.3569300
Ossa-Cornejo, C., Palma-Luengo, M., Lagos-San-Martín, N. y Díaz-Larenas, C. (2018). Critical and scientific thinking assessment in preservice teachers at a Chilean university. Educare, 22(2), 204-221. https://doi.org/10.15359/ree.22-2.12
Park, S. M. y Kim, Y. G. (2022). A metaverse: Taxonomy, components, applications, and open challenges. IEEE Access, 10, 4209-4251. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3140175
Patriotta, G. (2020). Writing impactful review articles. Journal of Management Studies, 57, 1272-1276. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12608
Post, C., Sarala, R., Gatrell, C. y Prescott, J. E. (2020). Advancing theory with review articles. Journal of Management Studies, 57, 351-376. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12549
Pritchard, C. (2022). Top 10 companies investing in the metaverse. Parcl. https://www.parcl.co/blog/top-10-companies-investing-in-the-metaverse
Rapoza, K. (21 de octubre de 2022). The metaverse is failing, but this is one investment that will not die. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2022/10/21/the-metaverse-is-failing-but-this-is-one-investment-that-will-not-die/
Ruggless, R. (30 de marzo de 2022). Wendy’s to open virtual-reality Wendyverse restaurant April 2. NRN. https://www.nrn.com/quick-service/wendy-s-open-virtual-reality-wendyverse-restaurant-april-2
Sandhu, C. (4 de diciembre de 2022). The future of the metaverse is not Zuckerberg’s Meta. New University. https://newuniversity.org/2022/12/04/the-future-of-the-metaverse-is-not-zuckerbergs-meta/
Santandreu-Calonge, D., Medina-Aguerrebere, P., Hultberg, P. y Shah, M.A. (2023). Can ChatGPT improve communication in hospitals? Profesional de la información, 32(2), e320219. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2023.mar.19
Shen, J., Zhou, X., Wu, W., Wang, L. y Chen, Z. (2023). Worldwide overview and country differences in metaverse research: a bibliometric analysis. Sustainability, 15(4), 3541. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043541
Schmidt, A. (26 de octubre de 2021). Chipotle opening virtual restaurant on Roblox, giving away $1M in free burritos. Fox Business. https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/chipotle-opening-virtual-restaurant-roblox
Schmitt, M. (2022). Metaverse: bibliometric review, building blocks, and implications for business, government, and society. SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4168458
Shukla, A., Saurabh, K. y Shah, A.K. (2023). Metaverse: a bibliometric analysis. Journal of Content, Community and Communication, 17, 67-79. https://doi.org/10.31620/JCCC.09.23/07
Smart, J., Cascio, J. y Paffendorf, J. (2007). Metaverso roadmap pathways to 3D web. https://www.w3.org/2008/WebVideo/Annotations/wiki/images/1/19/MetaverseRoadmapOverview.pdf
Suanpang, P., Niamsorn, C., Pothipassa, P., Chunhapataragul, T., Netwong, T. y Jermsittiparsert, K. (2022). Extensible metaverse implication for a smart tourism city. Sustainability, 14(21), artículo 14027. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114027
Syme, P. (5 de diciembre de 2022). The EU hosted a 24-hour party in its $400,000 metaverse to appeal to young people, but pretty much no one showed up. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/eu-hosts-400000-metaverse-party-barely-anyone-shows-up-2022-12#:~:text=The%20EU%20hosted%20a%2024,much%20no%20one%20showed%20up&text=The%20EU%20spent%20%E2%82%AC387,000,just%20a%20handful%20of%20attendees
The Wall Street Journal (26 de octubre de 2022). Tech Leaders Discuss the Metaverse’s Future | WSJ Tech Live 2022 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yl0cW4t8kE
Tlili, A., Huang, R., Shehata, B., Liu, D., Zhao, J., Metwally, A.H.S. ...y Burgos, D. (2022). Metaverse in education a blessing or a curse: a combined content and bibliometric analysis. Smart Learning Environments, 9(1), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-022-00205-x
Wang, H., Ning, H., Lin, Y., Wang, W., Dhelim, S., Farha, F., Ding, J. y Daneshmand, M. (2023). A survey on metaverse: the state-of-the-art, Technologies, Applications, and Challenges. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 10(16), 14671-14688. https://doi.org/10.1109/JIOT.2023.3278329
Wider, W., Jiang, L., Lin, J., Fauzi, M.A., Li, J. y Chan, C.K. (2023). Metaverse chronicles: a bibliometric analysis of its evolving landscape, International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2023.2227825
Wijaya, T., Darmawati, A. y Kuncoro, A. (2020). E-lifestyle confirmatory of consumer generation Z. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 11(10), 27-33. https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2020.0111004
Xu, M., Ng, W., Lim, W.Y., Kang, J., Xiong, Z., Niyato, D., Yang, Q, Shen, X. y Miao, C. (2022). A full dive into realizing the edge-enabled metaverse: visions, enabling technologies, and challenges. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 25(1), 656-700. https://doi.org/10.1109/COMST.2022.3221119
Yang, Y., Siau, K., Xie, W. y Sun, Y. (2022). Smart health: intelligent healthcare systems in the metaverse, artificial intelligence, and data science era. Journal of Organizational and End User Computing, 34(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.4018/JOEUC.308814
Zhou, H., Gao, J.Y. y Chen, Y. (2022). The paradigm and future value of the metaverse for the intervention of cognitive decline. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1016680