The metaverse is the next place for body dysmorphia to be networked

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This does not bode well for the metaverse, where avatars can be the main way to communicate and interact with each other. Noelle Martin, a legal researcher at the University of Western Australia and co-author of a forthcoming article on Meta’s metaverse, is raising such concerns. “If people are able to personalize their 3D hyperrealistic virtual human avatars or change, filter and manipulate their digital identities, [there is] potential to affect body dysmorphia, selfie dysmorphia, and producing eating disorders … the “unrealistic and flowerless” standard of beauty., especially for young girls, ”she said in an email.
This fear is not unfounded. Facebook has been criticized for silencing internal research that indicates this Instagram has a toxic effect on body image for teenage girls. A report in the Wall Street Journal found that the content of the app is based on the body and lifestyle that the user suffers from body dysmorphia. But in the metaverse, where avatars will be the main way to present themselves in many situations, vulnerable people may feel even more pressure to adapt to their appearance. And Martin says customizable metaverse avatars can also be used to “ignite racial injustices and injustices”.
Meta spokeswoman Eloise Quintanilla said the company is aware of potential problems: “We are asking ourselves important questions, such as how many changes make sense to make the avatar a positive and safe experience.” Microsoft, who recently announced his own metaverse plans, has also been studying the use of avatars, although his research has focused on work settings, such as meetings.
The choice of children’s metaverse avatars raises a number of other legal and ethical questions. Roblox, a hugely successful gaming platform where kids are the main market, has long used avatars as the main resource for players to interact with each other. And the company announced its own plans for a metaverse last month; David Baszucki CEO and Founder declare Roblox’s metaverse would be “a place where you have to be what you want to be”. So far, Roblox’s avatars have been fun, but Baszucki said they are looking for fully customizable companies: “Any body, any face, any hair, any clothes, any movement, any face tracking, they all come together … We think If we do this well, we will see an explosion of creativity, not only among our creators, but also among our users ”.
Ultimately, the avatars indicate how they want to see us. However, there is no plan for what can happen if things inevitably go wrong. Technology needs to walk in a fine line, keeping it realistic enough to be true to people’s identities without threatening the mental health of the humans behind the avatars. As Park says, “We can’t stop the ab metaverse. So we should prepare wisely. ‘ If Facebook newspapers show anything, social media companies are well aware of the health effects of their technology, but the government and social security networks are behind it in protecting the most vulnerable.
Crane understands the dangers of more realistic avatars that can have body dysmorphia, but says the power of being able to see himself in the virtual world would be indescribable. “For me, the joy of seeing myself accurately represented means that I am not the only person who believes my existence is valid,” she says. “That means I also see my potential as a team of developers, as I see it, as a man.”
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