Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) issues are key to the success of the metaverse. These values are foundational for a great user experience and will certainly affect user adoption. What is true in our reality and all of the issues that we already face in our day to day, as a society, will transition to the metaverse; That’s why we need to prioritize tackling them as we build these platforms.
We must enable users to live immersive experiences, and an important part of that equation is inclusivity and safety. For instance, we must see that all languages are well-represented and accessibility norms respected. On the question of representation, we should allow for diversity in avatars too. And not just in terms of race and gender, but in terms of all personal preferences, to guarantee an experience that people want to come back to.
If the metaverse is truly the next evolution of the internet, then everything that is currently true (and not being addressed or prioritized) in the world of web 2.0 will remain true there as well. It would be foolish to think that we can take on these problems in the metaverse if we still can’t solve them in our current context.
To conclude, I truly hope that the new opportunities offered in the metaverse will be a catalyst that prompts more focus on the things that matter in our lives so that we can make the entire world a better place – not just the digital side of it.
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Source: Unity Technologies Blog