One goal of the metaverse is to replicate the feeling of real-world connection by creating immersive virtual environments. This provides a unique opportunity to involve participation in society by leveraging virtual technology. However, as we have transitioned to the information age and a digital economy, we have witnessed how pre-existing inequalities & barriers present in the material world can further combine with digital inequalities, further disenfranchising and magnifying the inequalities of those who already face the greatest adversity.
Web 1 & 2 products, services have largely been designed around people who are already most able to participate. So much so that we have created inaccessibility and inequality because there hasn’t been done enough to anticipate the attitudinal, financial, social, enablement, or policy barriers that marginalized groups face.
This session aims to give you useful frameworks, models and perspectives that should be considered throughout the development of metaverse and Web 3.0 in the pursuit of a kinder, ethical, more inclusive, digitally-enabled future.
