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Metaverse Perspectives from Japan: A Participatory Speculative Design Case Study

Michel Hohendanner, Chiara Ullstein, Dohjin Miyamoto, Emma Fukuwatari Huffman, Gudrun Socher, Jens Grossklags, Hirotaka Osawa

TL;DR

This work utilizes a participatory speculative design (PSD) approach to explore Japanese citizens' perspectives on future metaverse societies, as well as social and ethical implications, and identifies key themes from participants' perspectives, providing insights for culturally sensitive design and development of virtual environments.

Abstract

Currently, the development of the metaverse lies in the hands of industry. Citizens have little influence on this process. Instead, to do justice to the pluralism of (digital) societies, we should strive for an open discourse including many different perspectives on the metaverse and its core technologies such as AI. We utilize a participatory speculative design (PSD) approach to explore Japanese citizens' perspectives on future metaverse societies, as well as social and ethical implications. Our contributions are twofold. Firstly, we demonstrate the effectiveness of PSD in engaging citizens in critical discourse on emerging technologies like the metaverse, offering our workshop framework as a methodological contribution. Secondly, we identify key themes from participants' perspectives, providing insights for culturally sensitive design and development of virtual environments. Our analysis shows that participants imagine the metaverse to have the potential to solve a variety of societal issues; for example, breaking down barriers of physical environments for communication, social interaction, crisis preparation, and political participation, or tackling identity-related issues. Regarding future metaverse societies, participants' imaginations raise critical questions about human-AI relations, technical solutionism, politics and technology, globalization and local cultures, and immersive technologies. We discuss implications and contribute to expanding conversations on metaverse developments.

Metaverse Perspectives from Japan: A Participatory Speculative Design Case Study

TL;DR

This work utilizes a participatory speculative design (PSD) approach to explore Japanese citizens' perspectives on future metaverse societies, as well as social and ethical implications, and identifies key themes from participants' perspectives, providing insights for culturally sensitive design and development of virtual environments.

Abstract

Currently, the development of the metaverse lies in the hands of industry. Citizens have little influence on this process. Instead, to do justice to the pluralism of (digital) societies, we should strive for an open discourse including many different perspectives on the metaverse and its core technologies such as AI. We utilize a participatory speculative design (PSD) approach to explore Japanese citizens' perspectives on future metaverse societies, as well as social and ethical implications. Our contributions are twofold. Firstly, we demonstrate the effectiveness of PSD in engaging citizens in critical discourse on emerging technologies like the metaverse, offering our workshop framework as a methodological contribution. Secondly, we identify key themes from participants' perspectives, providing insights for culturally sensitive design and development of virtual environments. Our analysis shows that participants imagine the metaverse to have the potential to solve a variety of societal issues; for example, breaking down barriers of physical environments for communication, social interaction, crisis preparation, and political participation, or tackling identity-related issues. Regarding future metaverse societies, participants' imaginations raise critical questions about human-AI relations, technical solutionism, politics and technology, globalization and local cultures, and immersive technologies. We discuss implications and contribute to expanding conversations on metaverse developments.
Paper Structure (28 sections, 19 figures, 7 tables)

This paper contains 28 sections, 19 figures, 7 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. BACKGROUND AND RELATED LITERATURE
  3. From Approaching the Concept of the Metaverse to Sociotechnical Imaginaries and Public Perception
  4. Metaverse and VR Culture in Japan
  5. Sensemaking and Speculative Approaches in Research through Design for HCI
  6. METHODOLOGY
  7. Recruitment of Participants
  8. Workshop Conceptualization and Process
  9. Data Collection and Analysis Approach
  10. ANALYSIS OF UNDERLYING THEMES
  11. Sensemaking of Metaverse Technology
  12. Sensemaking of the Future Through Metaverse Technology
  13. Discussion
  14. Discussion of Identified Themes
  15. Implications for Metaverse and AI Development
  16. ...and 13 more sections

Figures (19)

  • Figure 1: Example of process coding and values coding for the workshop group “U12-Topia”; Source: Own illustration.
  • Figure 2: Excerpts from the digital toolkit in Mural to guide participants during the workshop process: defining the metaverse (left), consequence mapping (middle), value proposition (right); Source: Own toolkit, workshop groups.
  • Figure 3: Toolkit - Phase 1 Understanding: Getting to know the group members (day 1).
  • Figure 4: Toolkit - Phase 1 Understanding: Exploring the concept of the metaverse (day 1).
  • Figure 5: Toolkit - Phase 2 Speculating: Gathering first thoughts about a future metaverse society (day 1).
  • ...and 14 more figures