The rise of the metaverse has stirred concern over what effect the new technology will have on mental health with studies already linking too much screen time and long stretches of scrolling on Instagram and TikTok to heightened levels of anxiety and depression.
Technology, largely social media, has been blamed for increased polarisation – politically and personally. With insults slung across social media platforms, it seems easy to say it has diminished empathy.
While society was grappling with one set of adverse effects brought by one technology, the pandemic brought a new concern – Zoom fatigue. It seems normal that the rise of virtual worlds and the metaverse would spur concern over what effect another new technology will have on our mental health.
“Imagine the pressure of having to exist in two different dimensions and trying to align your emotional, psychological and cognitive abilities in both dimensions, despite the fact that they possibly require different skill sets and focus,” said Dr. Joseph Khoury, chief of psychiatry and behavioural health at American Hospital Dubai. “It will add anxiety definitely. The younger generation will probably find [the metaverse] more natural, but for older people, it will be tricky.”
On the other side, some virtual reality (VR) proponents say the new tech can teach empathy and improve mental health. By putting on goggles, an individual can be dropped into the middle of a rural village in some far-off remote village, or assume a different persona, giving them an understanding of what it’s like to be a person of a different race or gender.
In conversation, tech terms, like social media, VR, and the metaverse, get jumbled. Ultimately, people are spending more time online, and it stands to impact how we see the world, how we interact with others, and our mental health.
It’s easy to assume the effect one has on something, like mental health, will prove true across the board. But VR and metaverse developers are asking for a chance to prove the new tech won’t be as damaging.
“The concept of the metaverse is still in its early stages. What potential side effects of this new technology [may appear] is still under speculation and observation,” said Kirck Allen, CEO, of metaverse aggregator Kaloscope.
Allen said overall, “the metaverse will have positive effects on improving mental health as it’s designed to be like a game. Ninety-one percent of the population today are already participating in the metaverse simply by using smart phones, laptops or wearables so in the next few years there will be many products and services that will focus on immersive experience which can reinforce positive effects in a persons’ mood and cognitive functions.”
He also distinguished between social media and the metaverse.
“The biggest issue, though with social media platforms is due to their centralised nature, large corporations could potentially manipulate their platforms’ algorithm to increase engagement- by showcasing unhealthy content to its users,” he said.
Social media has been widely linked to anxiety and depression in teenagers, especially girls, but at least one 2021 study, titled Association Between Social Media Use and Self-reported Symptoms of Depression in US Adults, has found those same issues appear in adults who spend time of social platforms. There is no causal link between social media use and depression, but there is certainly a correlation between the rise of social media and the rise in adults who report feeling stressed or depressed.
“We believe that Web3.0 decentralised platforms could be the future, as it allows the community to help regulate content within the platform, instead of a large corporation manipulating communities to merely increase engagement,” he said.
He, alongside Simon Hudson from Cheeze, agreed that developers need to seriously consider the potential mental health effects new platforms could have and that developers do have a role to play in mitigating negative effects.
“The developer communities are usually very strong, and I think we are all recognising the impact that endless hours in front of a machine can have. When building products, taking these concerns into consideration will definitely help mental health when using the products,” Hudson, the CEO of NFT photo company Cheeze.
Allen is optimistic that the decentralised nature of the platforms will translate to a better ability to mitigate the effect on people’s minds.
“The top priority of any metaverse company should be the way it cultivates its community as there will be a support system available for those who suffer from mental health issues. Many companies normally start on the singular user experience expanding from that. By cultivating a healthy community within your project, companies will get direct feedback from their consumers on how to improve their platform, support individuals who are struggling,( which will increase engagement and by creating achievement based rewards) and will get people to positively participate more on their platform,” said Allen.
Allen wants to see the metaverse run as a “community led project rather than run and controlled by a single entity, and by doing so, should create mitigation on the so called adverse effects on mental health as it was built by the people, and for the people, and not for a single entity or individual.”
When Facebook, now called Meta, came under fire for its products that were said to fuel hate and harm mental health, whistle blower Frances Haugen said the company chose “profit over safety.”
Can new tech metaverse platforms, where there is also little regulation, navigate this battle for balance any better than the social media giants?
“Personally, I feel that if done correctly virtual worlds and online products can help individuals. Although there have been many cases of people suffering with mental health, there are also just as many positive examples of how new online communities and virtual meetups have helped individuals come out of depression and directed life into a better place,” Hudson said.
