Ethical Challenges with Personalized Avatars in Higher Education of the Metaverse Era

Year 2024, Volume: 6 Issue: 1, 74 - 96, 29.06.2024

Nurten Gündüz , Mehmet Sincar

https://doi.org/10.46423/izujed.1378968

Abstract

One of the first revolutions of Web 3.0 technology has been the metaverse, which is an alternative world formation where people can experience three-dimensional virtual realities through their avatars. The only way for higher education to survive in the metaverse era is to do an in-depth examination of the current situation and create strategies, regulations, and policies for all segments of this novice field considering also the ethical challenges it will bring to humanity. In a metaverse environment, there will be personalized avatars that represent real people, and in a university setting with virtual classes held in the metaverse, many ethical dilemmas and moral concerns can develop due to the utilization of avatars. The study narrowed its attention to examining these ethical issues raised by avatar customization and potential solutions to design a healthy metaverse in higher education. The study conducted an in-depth exploration with fourteen higher education lecturers, who are also key people specialized in the metaverse and web 3.0 technologies. The data obtained from the interviews were clustered under seven thematic nodes including anonymous identities; socially equal & diverse avatars; avatar policy; honesty & transparency; non-resemblance with the physical realities; avatar clothes codes; and avatars’ intellectual property.
Key Words: Avatar, Ethics, Metaverse, Higher Education, Metaverse Universities

Keywords

Avatar, Ethics, Metaverse, Higher Education, Metaverse Universities

Metaverse Çağının Yükseköğretiminde Kişiselleştirilmiş Avatarlarla İlgili Etik Zorluklar

Abstract

Metaverse Çağının Yükseköğretiminde Kişiselleştirilmiş Avatarlarla İlgili Etik Zorluklar
Öz
Web 3.0 teknolojisinin ilk devrimlerinden biri, insanların avatarları aracılığıyla üç boyutlu sanal gerçeklikleri deneyimleyebildikleri alternatif bir dünya oluşumu olarak görülebilecek olan metaverse olmuştur. Yükseköğretimin metaverse çağında ayakta kalabilmesinin tek yolu, mevcut durumun derinlemesine bir incelemesini yapmak ve insanlığa getireceği etik zorlukları da göz önünde bulundurarak bu yeni alanın tüm segmentleri için stratejiler, düzenlemeler ve politikalar oluşturmaktır. Bir metaverse ortamında, gerçek insanları temsil eden kişiselleştirilmiş avatarlar söz konusudur ve metaverse'de sanal derslerin yapıldığı bir üniversite ortamında, avatarların kullanımı nedeniyle birçok etik ikilem ve ahlaki kaygı gelişebilir. Çalışma, avatar özelleştirmesinin ortaya çıkardığı bu etik sorunları ve yükseköğretimde etik temelli, sağlıklı bir metaverse tasarlamak için potansiyel çözümleri incelemeye odaklanmıştır. Çalışma, aynı zamanda metaverse ve web 3.0 teknolojileri konusunda uzmanlaşmış kilit kişiler olan on dört yükseköğretim öğretim görevlisi ile derinlemesine bir araştırma yürütmüştür. Görüşmelerden elde edilen veriler, anonim kimlikler; sosyal eşitliliğin ve çeşitliliğin saplandığı avatarlar; avatar politikası; dürüstlük ve şeffaflık; fiziksel gerçekliklerle benzerlik göstermeme; avatar kıyafet kodları ve avatarların fikri mülkiyeti olmak üzere yedi tematik düğüm altında kümelenmiştir.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Avatar, Etik, Metaverse, Yükseköğretim, Metaverse Üniversiteler

Keywords

Avatar, Etik, Metaverse, Yükseköğretim, Metaverse Üniversiteler

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