Metaverse: Hyper-realistic 3D avatars in the virtual world could harm young people’s body image in the actual world

Researchers are warning that hyper-realistic 3D avatars in the virtual world could have a severe impact on the body image of young people in the actual world as the excitement surrounding so-called metaverse continues to rise. 

The metaverse is a fascinating virtual environment in which people could interact with one another through realistic 3D avatars. While Meta’s vision for the virtual world is by far the most widely discussed, some tech companies are also developing their own fascinating virtual environments in which people could interact with one another through realistic 3D avatars. In particular, Microsoft CEO Satyla Nadella has declared intentions to create an “enterprise metaverse,” which will integrate the physical and virtual worlds.

NVIDIA, a prominent player in the digital environment creation market, is developing an ‘Omniverse’ platform to simulate real-world buildings and factories. Roblox, a video game platform, is also placing a large bet on 3D digital worlds and is developing a metaverse that will meet the needs of gamers. As a prelude to its own metaverse, Snap Inc. also introduced 3D Bitmojis for Snapchat earlier this year. Tencent, a Chinese computer titan, has registered multiple metaverse-related trademarks this year.

The creation of hyper-realistic avatars by a diverse range of technology companies from various sectors of the technology industry is raising concerns among experts who believe that they may negatively impact young people’s body image.

After viewing realistic avatars of themselves created by Jennifer Ogle of Colorado State University and Juyeon Park of Seoul National University, a study published earlier this year revealed that young women almost always experienced low self-esteem issues. This was true even though the women had participated in a body positivity programme prior to creating the realistic avatars. Eighteen women between the ages of 18 and 21 were recruited for the study, all of whom reported having some body image difficulties prior to participating.

The topic was recently explored with Noelle Martin, a legal researcher at the University of Western Australia who is also co-author of a forthcoming study on Meta’s metaverse, in an interview published by MIT Technology Review. The ability for users to make their hyper-realistic virtual avatars, according to Martin, could have a “concerning potential to have an impact on body dysmorphia, selfie dysmorphia, and eating disorders,” among other things.

In his subsequent explanation, Martin stated that these simulated 3D worlds would likely result in “unrealistic and impossible ideals of beauty, particularly for young girls.”

According to Meta spokeswoman Eloise Quintanilla, the firm is taking all necessary efforts to avoid future metaverse issues. As Quintanilla explains, the company is actively working on this very issue and is attempting to determine the optimal amount of avatar customisation that would strike a balance between realism and providing “a happy and safe experience” for all metaverse users.