Presented “VR Lifestyle Survey” at the University of Malta — Human Interactions in the Digital World
On December 4th, Mila (Ludmila Bredikhina) presented the “Social VR Lifestyle Survey 2023” at the University of Malta. The presentation, conducted online during a class taught by Dr Vanessa Camilleri who collaborated on the survey providing advices and review comment, sparked various discussions among the students about human interactions in the digital world.
The Scene of a Lecture at the University of Malta
Lecture Note by Mila
The course focuses on understanding human interactions in digital worlds. Although most students are gamers and don’t play social VR, the survey was very valuable for them to know how people interact and their identities. So, for those who want to incorporate AI into the social VR world or design virtual worlds, it’s essential to consider user behaviors. Our survey is very valuable in that it provides such data. Vanessa mentioned having used social VRlds back in 2004 for a couple of years, and she noticed a drastic change in the way people use and interact in social VR, notably with the predominance of male users using feminine presenting avatars. According to her, that’s very important as it impacts how we design virtual worlds and what we include in them.
Review comment by Dr Vanessa Camilleri
Overall, this report is really interesting with some great results. This comprehensive survey which has over 2,000 respondents from around the globe, features intriguing insights into the lifestyles of social VR users. The survey highlights several noteworthy trends amongst which the fact that male users predominantly dominate all VR platforms. Notwithstanding this, the striking contradiction and one of the most salient points to emerge is that while male users are prevalent, feminine avatars are predominantly chosen, irrespective of the user’s physical sex. Delving into communication patterns, users have shown an inclination towards more intimate proximities, with an intriguing 41% admitting to having fallen in love within the VR realm. Economically, while an overwhelming majority are willing to spend on VR-related content, only a fraction monetises their VR activities yet. Lastly, the phenomenon of the phantom sense was reported by numerous users, intensifying with increased playtime. This gives an indication of the immersive nature of VR environments but it also exposes the social derivative that these platforms promote.
Dr Vanessa Camilleri
University of Malta, Senior Lecturer in Artificial Intelligence*Source: Social VR Lifestyle Survey 2023
Social VR Lifestyle Survey 2023
To visualize lifestyles in the Metaverse, we have published a report of a large-scale public survey conducted among users worldwide. This second survey has reached a new record with 2,000 responses, making it the largest to date. Thank you for your cooperation. We focused on highly requested themes: “changes due to rapid population growth,” “community,” and “economy.” To stimulate open discussions about the future of humanity and the Metaverse, we are offering the complete 80-page report for free. We are welcome for your feedback.
Thank you for great support!
Official Supporter: University of Malta (Advice/Review Comment: Dr Vanessa Camilleri)
Peported also on Japanese blog
This is also reported on our Japanese blog post.
