The Media-verse
Mainstream Media's Discourse on Meta's Metaverse
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55016/ojs/muj.v1i2.77166Keywords:
Journalistic discourse, Meta's Metaverse, New Media DystopiaAbstract
This project focuses on mainstream media’s discourse on Facebook, recently known as Meta’s newly launched virtually inter-connected world called Metaverse. The contention of this study is that mainstream media serves as a forum that contributes to the public imagination of technology. Furthermore, Facebook faces various kinds of public scrutiny, including lawsuits by ex-content flaggers over mental health damages from over-exposure to harmful content. The company’s handling of private information has also been heavily criticized by regulators, mainstream media outlets, and users, forcing Facebook to change some of its practices and offer explanations before the US Congress and the public in general. Nonetheless, the resulting media coverage of these dilemmas and damaging effects show how essential it is for the public to understand how journalism critically scrutinizes a new technology as it develops. This could help prevent harm to users and public life. Thus, this project focuses on mainstream media’s discursive construction of Meta’s Metaverse due to the media’s salient role in shaping public perceptions of technology. The objective of this study is to critically analyze the media discourse that is giving shape to this metaverse in the public imagination. The study is theoretically grounded in Foucault’s understanding of discourse as producing knowledge and power. This study will gather and analyze mainstream media publications reporting on the Metaverse from 2021 to the present. The analysis will focus on questions such as: How is mainstream media discussing this metaverse? What are the known limitations, and benefits of the platform as discussed by publications? In all, this study found that the journalistic discourse was overwhelmingly critical of this virtual world, and presented this metaverse as a dystopia while paradoxically reaffirming support for Meta's Metaverse.
References
Ayruu. (2021). [Image]. Horizon Workrooms. https://ayruu.com/en/horizon-workrooms-facebook-changes-for-the-metaverse/?cn-reloaded=1
Barthes, R. (1957). Project Astra. In R. Howard (Trans.), Mythologies (pp. 41–43). Hill and Wang.
Basu, A. (2017). [Image]. Samsung Gear VR device. https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/lits/2017/08/04/12115/
Bobrowsky, M. & Needleman, S. E. (2022, April 29). What Is the Metaverse? The Future Vision for the Internet. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/story/what-is-the-metaverse-the-future-vision-for-the-internet-ca97bd98?mod=Searchresults_pos9&page=1
Burgstahler, S. (2022, July 1). Working together: People with disabilities and computer technology. DO-IT; University of Washington. https://www.washington.edu/doit/working-together-people-disabilities-and-computer-technology
Carnegie, M. (2021, November 2). These companies are already living in Zuckerberg’s metaverse. WIRED. https://www.wired.com/story/these-companies-already-live-in-zuckerberg-metaverse/
Chen, B. (2022, January 18). What’s all the Hype About the Metaverse? The New York Times.
Christopoulos, A., Mystakidis, S., & Pellas, N. (2021). A systematic mapping review of augmented reality applications to support STEM learning in higher education. Education and Information Technologies, 27(2), 1883–1927. https://doi.org/10.1007./s10639-021-10682-1
Corr, A. (2022, January 28). Beijing will attempt to censor the metaverse. The Epoch Times. https://www.theepochtimes.com/beijing-will-attempt-to-censor-the-metaverse_4242666.html?utm_source=ai&utm_medium=search
D’Anastasio, C. (2022, January 10). Video games already do what the metaverse just promises. WIRED. https://www.wired.com/story/video-games-ahead-of-metaverse/
Egliston, B., & Carter, M. (2021). Critical questions for Facebook’s virtual reality: Data, power and the metaverse. Internet Policy Review, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.14763/2021.4.1610
Fleitas, A. (2022, Febuary 14). In Creepy Super Bowl Ad, Meta Peddles Big Tech Dystopia. The Federalist.
Foucault, M. (1980). Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews and Other Writings, 1972-1977 (C. Gordon, Ed.). Vintage.
Frenkel, S., & Browning, K. (2021, December 30). The Metaverse’s Dark Side: Here Come Harassment and Assaults. The New York Times.
Friedman, V. (2022a, January 20). A Time for Playing Dress-Up in the Metaverse. The New York Times.
Friedman, V. (2022b, January 20). What to Wear in the Metaverse. The New York Times.
Gabert-Doyon, J. (2021, July 30). The Metaverse Has Always Been a Dystopian Idea. VICE Motherboard. https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7eqbb/the-metaverse-has-always-been-a-dystopia
Goldsberry, J. (2022, February 5). Metaverse implements personal boundaries to prevent virtual harassment. Washington Examiner. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/metaverse-implements-personal-boundaries-to-prevent-virtual-harassment
Haidt, J. (2022, April 11). Why the past 10 years of American life have been uniquely stupid. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/social-media-democracy-trust-babel/629369/
Hall, M. (2022, August 12). Facebook. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Facebook
Hunter, T. (2022, January 13). Surveillance will follow us into “the metaverse,” and our bodies could be its new data source. The Washington Post.
Jashinsky, E. (2021, November 1). Meta Could Make Mark Zuckerberg The World’s Most Powerful Landlord. The Federalist.
Johnson, S. (2021, December 9). Is the Metaverse Really the Next Big Thing? Its advocates say more immersive interfaces will increase our sense of presence. I think they have their definitions wrong. The Wall Street Journal.
Jolly, N. (2017, November 10). Where experts, naysayers and everyone else saw the internet heading in the ’90s. SBS. https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2017/10/31/where-experts-naysayers-and-everyone-else-saw-internet-heading-90s
Kamin, D. (2021, December 1). In the Metaverse, a Virtual Land Boom. The New York Times.
Kazanidis, I., Mystakidis, S., & Pellas, N. (2021). Immersive Virtual Reality in K-12 and
Higher Education: A systematic review of the last decade scientific literature. Virtual Reality, 25(3), 835–861. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055020-00489-9
Koebler, J. (2021, October 28). Zuckerberg announces fantasy world where Facebook is not a horrible company. VICE Motherboard. https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjb485/zuckerberg-facebook-new-name-meta-metaverse-presentation
Kraus, S., Kanbach, D. K., Krysta, P. M., Steinhoff, M. M., & Tomini, N. (2022). Facebook and the creation of the metaverse: Radical business model innovation or incremental transformation? International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 28(9), 52–77. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijebr-12-2021-0984
Levine, A. S. (2021, November 17). The health concerns that hang over the metaverse. POLITICO. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/future-pulse/2021/11/17/the-health-concerns-that-hang-over-the-metaverse-798937
Levy, S. (2021, November 5). The metaverse is Mark Zuckerberg’s mobile do-over. WIRED. https://www.wired.com/story/plaintext-metaverse-mark-zuckerberg-mobile-do-over/
Maiberg, E. (2022, February 16). Being a Facebook metaverse ‘community guide’ seems like a nightmare job. VICE Motherboard. https://www.vice.com/en/article/7kb7w4/being-a-facebook-metaverse-community-guide-seems-like-a-nightmare-job
Meta. (n.d.). Meta quest 2. Meta. https://store.facebook.com/ca/quest/products/quest-2/?utm_source=www.google.com&utm_medium=oculusredirect
Meta. (2021). [Image]. Horizon Worlds. https://techcrunch.com/2021/12/09/metas-horizon-worlds-is-available-in-the-us-and-canada-for-18-users/
Meyrat, A. (2021, November 16). The Metaverse is a Second ‘Second Life’. The American Conservative.
Metz, C. (2021, December 30). A Virtual World: Enter Here. The New York Times.
Mims, C. (2022, April 9). The Future of Socializing at Work? Virtual Golf; Companies like Meta often insist we will all be working inside the metaverse. But what is a round of mini golf with colleagues is the better application? The Wall Street Journal.
Molina, B. (2021, December 10). Bill Gates predicts our work meetings will move to metaverse in 2-3 years. USA TODAY. https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/12/10/bill-gates-metaverse-work-meetings-predictions/6459911001/
Mystakidis, S. (2020, July 15). Distance education gamification in social virtual reality: A case study on student engagement. 2020 11th International Conference on Information, Intelligence, Systems and Applications (IISA). http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/iisa50023.2020.9284417
Mystakidis, S., Papantzikos, G., & Stylios, C. (2021, September 24). Virtual reality escape rooms for STEM education in industry 4.0: Greek teachers perspectives. 2021 6th South-East Europe Design Automation, Computer Engineering, Computer Networks and Social Media Conference (SEEDA-CECNSM). http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/seeda-cecnsm53056.2021.9566265
Needleman, S. E., & Rodriguez, S. (2022, February 1). VR to the ER: Metaverse Early Adopters Prove Accident-Prone; Tally includes broken vases, dislocated shoulders, injured girlfriends, “Why don’t you go to the gym like a normal person?” The Wall Street Journal.
Nitzberg, A. (2021, October 28). Facebook’s company name changed to Meta as Mark Zuckerberg plans to focus on developing the metaverse. Blaze Media. https://www.theblaze.com/news/facebook-company-name-changed-to-meta-as-zuckerberg-plans-to-focus-on-developing-the-metaverse
Oremus, W. (2022, February 7). Kids are flocking to Facebook’s “metaverse.” Experts worry predators will follow. The Washington Post.
Pellas, N., & Mystakidis, S. (2020). A systematic review of research about game-based learning in virtual worlds. JUCS - Journal of Universal Computer Science, 26(8), 1017–1042. https://doi.org/10.3897/jucs.2020.054
Reis, A. B., & Ashmore, M. (2022). From video streaming to virtual reality worlds: An academic, reflective, and creative study on live theatre and performance in the metaverse. International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media, 18(1), 7–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/14794713.2021.2024398
Robertson, D. (2022, April 20). Politics in the metaverse: An optimistic case. POLITICO. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/digital-future-daily/2022/04/20/politics-metaverse-meta-facebook-moderation-00026596
Roose, K. (2021, October 29). The Metaverse Is Mark Zuckerberg’s Escape Hatch. The New York Times.
Rose, J. (2022, March 10). Eye-Tracking tech is another reason the metaverse will suck. VICE Motherboard. https://www.vice.com/en/article/93b8v8/eye-tracking-tech-is-another-reason-the-metaverse-will-suck
Sacca, P. (2021, December 20). Woman says she was virtually “groped” in Facebook’s VR metaverse, investigation launched. Blaze Media. https://www.theblaze.com/news/meta-metaverse-groping-facebook-investigation
Scott, M. (2022, April 12). The Facebook whistleblower takes on the metaverse. POLITICO. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/digital-future-daily/2022/04/12/the-facebook-whistleblower-takes-on-the-metaverse-00024762
Sharma, V. (2022a). [Image]. Personal Boundary Feature. https://about.fb.com/news/2022/02/personal-boundary-horizon/
Sharma, V. (2022b). [Image]. Personal Boundary Distance. https://about.fb.com/news/2022/02/personal-boundary-horizon/
Shen, M. (2022, January 31). Sexual harassment in the metaverse? Woman alleges rape in virtual world. USA TODAY. https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2022/01/31/woman-allegedly-groped-metaverse/9278578002/
Sherman, C. (2022, February 1). Woman says she was ‘virtually gang-raped’ in facebook’s metaverse. VICE News. https://www.vice.com/en/article/3abpg3/woman-says-she-was-virtually-gang-raped-in-facebooks-metaverse
So, A. (2022, January 26). My Family Is Trapped in the Metaverse. WIRED. https://www.wired.com/story/stuck-in-the-metaverse/
Stein, S. (2020a). [Image]. Charge Port and Charger Cord to the Meta Oculus 2 Headset. https://www.cnet.com/pictures/oculus-quest-2-how-it-compares-to-quest/
Stein, S. (2020b). [Image]. Front of the Meta Oculus 2 Headset While Charging. https://www.cnet.com/pictures/oculus-quest-2-how-it-compares-to-quest/
Stein, S. (2020c). [Image]. Inside of Oculus Quest 2 Headset. https://www.cnet.com/pictures/oculus-quest-2-how-it-compares-to-quest/
Stein, S. (2020d). [Image]. Meta Oculus 2 Controller. https://www.cnet.com/pictures/oculus-quest-2-how-it-compares-to-quest/
Stein, S. (2020e). [Image]. Oculus 2 Controller, Buttons and Joystick. https://www.cnet.com/pictures/oculus-quest-2-how-it-compares-to-quest/
Stein, S. (2020f). [Image]. Room Scanner/ Camera Tracker on the Oculus 2 Headset. https://www.cnet.com/pictures/oculus-quest-2-how-it-compares-to-quest/
Stein, S. (2020g). [Image]. The Oculus 2 Headset and Controllers. https://www.cnet.com/pictures/oculus-quest-2-how-it-compares-to-quest/
Stein, S. (2020h). [Image]. Up-Close Interior of the Meta Oculus 2 Headset; Eye Distance Adjuster. https://www.cnet.com/pictures/oculus-quest-2-how-it-compares-to-quest/
Strachan, M. (2022, January 24). “We’re all speculating”: Inside the wildly hyped metaverse real estate rush. VICE Motherboard. https://www.vice.com/en/article/z3nz7y/were-all-speculating-inside-the-wildly-hyped-metaverse-real-estate-rush
Towey, J. (2021, November 4). God’s Universe Beats Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse; The Facebook chief’s loveless high-tech fantasy world is a curse, not a blessing. The Wall Street Journal.
Visionary Team. (n.d.). Facebook’s Mission and Vision Statement Analysis 2022. Visionary Business Person. https://visionarybusinessperson.com/facebook-mission-statement/
Voshell, F. (2021, November 29). The Escape to Mars or Zuckerberg's Metaverse. The American Thinker. https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2021/11/the_escape_to_mars_or_zuckerbergs_metaverse.html
York, C. (2009, February). “The ‘Virtual’ Beat: Journalistic Perspectives on Reporting Second Life, a Massive Online World.” MG 2009 Proceedings. http://aisel.aisnet.org/mg2009/1
Zeitchik, S. (2021, November 5). What will the world look like when everyone can choose their own avatar in the metaverse? The Washington Post.
Zupancic, M. (2021, August 17). Op-Ed: The fight to end surveillance technology. Medium. https://medium.com/una-nca-snapshots/op-ed-the-fight-to-end-surveillance-technology-f68bc50ff5b8
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Madison Daniels
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright Policy
The Motley Undergraduate Journal is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Share-Alike License. Under this license, users are free to share (copy, distribute and transmit) and remix (adapt) the contribution, including for commercial purposes, providing that the original work is properly cited. Under Creative Commons, authors retain copyright in their articles.
Author Self Archiving Policy
Authors are permitted to post their work online in institutional/disciplinary repositories or on their own websites. Pre-print versions posted online should include a citation and link to the final published version in The Motley Undergraduate Journal as soon as the issue is available; post-print versions (including the final publisher's PDF) should include a citation and link to the journal's website.
