Regulations meant to manage technology frequently don’t keep up with it. Although many people view the expansion of the tech sector as a sign of societal advancement, it’s not always obvious how and to what extent a particular developing technology will change how we live. Consider social media as an example. Now, social media platforms are used by billions of individuals worldwide. But as more studies reveal these platforms’ damaging effects on users and society, policymakers are still grappling with legislation.

Here are a some ways the metaverse might make social media’s drawbacks worse:

1. Added Stress and Social Comparison

A woman with brown coloured hair in a bun is touching an illuminated digital display in a dark room. People frequently experience self-doubt following their use of social media. Researchers have linked social media use and the demands of social comparison.

In fact, according to a 2014 study published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, participants “feel unhappy after spending a considerable quantity of time on Facebook because they feel horrible when comparing themselves to others.”

The pressure to appear in a certain way and to promote particular accomplishments or milestones intensifies due to the filtered, controlled nature of social media feeds. The metaverse might make this issue worse. Having the freedom and capability to represent yourself through an avatar, in general, may create discontent with your real-world personality. Researchers at the University of South Australia looked into how the capacity to modify images and share selfies on social media affected participants’ internalization of the goal of having a tan appearance.

In other words, using dog filters is OK, but curating and sharing your photos frequently may make you feel under more pressure to look a specific way. Anxiety about appearances can worsen in the metaverse, where your avatar will be crucial to your digital presence.

2. Possibility of Addiction

We are aware that some people develop an addiction to social media. Businesses purposefully modify algorithms to keep people on the site engaged for as long as possible.

A social media network can make more money by showing users more adverts as their time on the platform increases. The economic models of all social media platforms are essentially the same. Furthermore, it is reasonable to expect the metaverse to employ the same business strategy. It will be nearly impossible to ignore this time, though.

Consider this: you can make a virtual world as engaging as you like. You can get endless new experiences and constant stimulation from it. In comparison, living in such a setting would quickly make reality seem uninteresting and boring. After all, why bother walking around the park when you can play a game of darts in space? Some people may become vulnerable due to algorithms trying to keep their interest or draw them back.

3. Online bullying gets worse

We’ve seen innumerable headlines about how social media users are impacted by cyberbullying and how these sites struggle to stop the harassment. It’s one of the main reasons why some people decide to completely avoid using social media. Harassment in such a virtual world could feel scary and upsetting since the metaverse is much more immersive.

In Meta’s VR game Horizon Worlds, a beta tester has already brought to our attention a case of abuse that went as follows:

Such situations are at odds with the picture of the metaverse that Meta and other creators are attempting to project. Cases like this might readily arise without stringent norms and restrictions, putting people off from experimenting with the new technology and realizing its potential.

Also Read: 3 Threats Giving Metaverse A Reality Check

4. Moderation Becomes Difficult to Exercise

When given the tools to do so, false information often spreads quickly. A staff of moderators policing a social media site like Facebook is one thing, but controlling a complete virtual universe is quite another.

It is really difficult to manage anything so large and complex with the manpower and algorithms that are needed. Likely, misinformation, scams, theft, and violent content have caused major harm when any regulatory actions are taken.

It’s unclear what the intentions are to moderate virtual worlds where users will predominantly communicate using real-time audio and VR avatars since monitoring text-based conversations and video clips is already such a challenging undertaking for many platforms.

5. Data collection and advertisements become more intrusive

The metaverse may end up where many of us spend most of our time in its fully matured state. As a result, practically everything we do—from online buying to gaming to networking—will be done digitally.

Companies currently monitor your dwell time, search phrases, and other forms of engagement just by using your phone. The potential for data mining will be considerably larger in a virtual world because your activities and devices generate more data.

This information may be used to build complex models of your personality and behavior patterns, which can then be sold to marketers to inundate you with extremely relevant, timely, and targeted advertisements.

A corporation may better adjust its pricing and marketing methods to persuade you to buy more the more information it has about you. Who’s to say your shopping advertising won’t appear in your metaverse games or social gatherings if the digital platform is integrated?

Regulation of the Metaverse is Required Right Away

We all believe that the metaverse will be a huge success, but we also can’t ignore its dangers. The threats it raises are far too substantial to be disregarded. Additionally, the scandals for which Meta is well-known do not promote systemic trust.