Chapter 6 - Users of the Metaverse: A Virtual Public

Summary

Legendary Chicago newspaper columnist Finley Peter Dunne once quipped that a newspaper “comforts th’ afflicted, afflicts th’ comfortable” (2002). Dunne was referring ironically to newspapers in a physical, tangible world in the late 19th century. Yet, even in a 21st century virtual world such as the Metaverse, the sentiment Dunne expressed still pertains. One difference is that the public to be comforted, or afflicted as the case may be, is virtual. They may have real-world counterparts, but for Metaverse journalism, the focus is on the virtual. This means the users who enter, populate, and shape the Metaverse use its applications, share virtual experiences, and collaborate in digital activity, including remote work, learning, and more, including building spaces within it, even possibly news entities operated by user-reporters.

This chapter examines the nature of the virtual public that exists or may develop in the Metaverse. Moreover, the chapter articulates how journalism will relate to that virtual public. There are some parallels to the real world. Users may be consumers of Metaverse journalism. They may be sources of stories and they, or their data patterns, may be the subject matter of those stories; they may even act as citizen-user journalists. This chapter considers user rights, from privacy to safety, as well as how those rights intersect with the actions and policies of those in power within the Metaverse, and how they may shape or define Metaverse journalistic practice.

Users are essential to the development of the Metaverse. Early indicators are that Metaverse users likely will follow an adoption and diffusion model of innovations and possibly a technology acceptance model (Davis, Bagozzi & Warshaw, 1989). Some early adopters will come quickly, but then usage may climb more gradually as the Metaverse matures or takes a more defined shape. If users respond favorably to their experiences inside the Metaverse, acceptance is apt to climb and more users may join. Assuming users do enter the Metaverse, it also will be important to its development that users continue to use it. If usage is merely an experiment and not frequently repeated (i.e., there is a low rate of acceptance), the Metaverse likely will become little more than a niche media environment.