Digital forest recreation in the metaverse: Opportunities and challenges

【Author】 Jaung, Wanggi

【Source】TECHNOLOGICAL FORECASTING AND SOCIAL CHANGE

【影响因子】10.884

【Abstract】The metaverse could provide a new way of interacting with nature through immersive three-dimensional virtual worlds. This digital nature recreation has the potential to shape users' perceptions, knowledge, and behavior toward nature. Despite this potential, its user demand is currently unknown. This study analyzes the demand for digital forest recreation in the metaverse by conducting a discrete choice experiment with university students as potential metaverse users to fill this knowledge gap. The study results revealed that users preferred digital forest recreation to experience outdoor adventure and a nature-based digital twin in the metaverse, indicating that digital forest recreation has the potential to influence human-nature interactions. The students required responsible and immersive metaverse platforms for digital forest recreation that were not subject to invasions of user privacy (e.g., selling big data of users), biased algorithms (e.g., racism), algorithms selling virtual goods, cyberaggression (e.g., trolling), and less immersive virtual experiences. These findings highlight both opportunities and challenges for creating user-centered digital forest recreation in the metaverse. The research contributes to understanding potential interactions between technological, social, and ecological systems.

【Keywords】Digital forest recreation; Digital nature; Technological nature; Simulated nature

【发表时间】2022 DEC

【收录时间】2022-11-16

【文献类型】实证数据

【主题类别】

区块链应用-虚拟经济-元宇宙