Social VR Lifestyle Survey 2023 (Nem x Mila, 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.
*日本語版ポータルはこちら
Additional Information
*2023/12/4: Presented at the University of Malta
*2024/2/24: Presented at VR Club at the Univ. of Illinois
*2024/6/28: Presented at “Global Digital Intimacies”, University of Amsterdam
*2024/7/31: Presented at International Conference “ICRES 2024”
Foreword
Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and more accessibly priced VR equipment, the number of Social VR users is said to have increased by more than fivefold in the past few years. It has been gaining traction as a new space — the “Metaverse” — where people can live. In this study, we analyzed 2,000 answers to a large-scale public survey conducted among VR users worldwide to visualize the lifestyle. This second time survey focuses on the “impact of rapid population growth in 2 years.” Based on numerous requests from residents in the pre-survey, we have added the “Community” and “Economy” topics as key themes and conducted a detailed analysis. How will we connect and live in this rapidly expanding virtual world? This report is nothing more than an introduction to the mere entrance of the ever-evolving universe. We hope that it is a stepping stone to understanding the intricacies of the new era that is about to begin and engage discussions for a better future.
Nem x Mila
Contents
Part 1. Lifestyle and Community
Social VR utilization trends, purpose of use and community
Part 2. Identity
Users’ names, avatars and vocal expressions
Part 3. Communication
Distance, skinship, romance and sex among users
Part 4. Economy
Amount and breakdown of expenses and income in virtual space
Part 5. Phantom Sense
Types of sensations, sensitivity and tactile perception sites
*Please note that this report includes statistics related to sexual activities.
Report Free Distribution “Social VR Lifestyle Survey 2023”
*Report Format: pdf, Bilingual in Japanese and English, 81 pages
*When sharing, we would appreciate if you could share this portal page instead of the pdf link. (Because the link may change when the report is updated)
Feedback Form
Thank you for reading our report. Please give us your feedback by answering this form for our further analysis and future research activities.
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YouTube Live Debriefing
The research unit Nem x Mila will debrief from the metaverse on Saturday, 26 November, at 21:00 JST on YouTube Live. The duo will answer viewers’ questions in real-time.
Official Supporters
We got help by various Metaverse-related organizations on spreading the survey.
・HIKKY Co., Ltd.
・PANORA
・Meta-cul Frontier
・VR Ajito
・AXON PARK
・VNOS Corporation
・University of Malta (Advice/Review Comment: Dr Vanessa Camilleri)
Organisers: Research Unit “Nem x Mila”
The “Social VR Census 2023” is the fourth large-scale research project conducted by the research unit “Nem x Mila” formed by Virtual Girl Nem and Ludmila (Mila) Bredikina. Our goal is to investigate the impact of VTubers and Metaverse on humanity. We accept inquiries for interviews or other matters via Twitter DM or at the email address on the report.
Virtual Girl Nem
Japanese VTuber, writer, and Metaverse culture evangelist. HTC official VIVE ambassador. Published the commentary book “Metaverse Evolution Theory (Gijutsu hyoron-sha)” in 2022. Received the Grand Prize in the “IT Engineer Book Awards 2023” in the business book category.
・Twitter : https://twitter.com/nemchan_nel
・Twitter (English) : https://twitter.com/nemchan_EN/
・Academic portal : https://researchmap.jp/nemchan_nel
・Reference: Metaverse Evolution Theory — Intro of a Book by a Native Inhabitant of the Metaverse is Published for Free
Liudmila Bredikhina
Ph.D. student at Malta University, Department of Gender & Sexualities, Faculty for Social Wellbeing. She received the “Prix Genre” (Gender Prize) academic award from the Geneva University for her master’s thesis on “ba-bi-niku” and “VTubers” in 2022.
・Twitter : https://twitter.com/BredikhinaL
・Academic portal : https://malta.academia.edu/LiudmilaBredikhina
・Reference: Mila received the ‘Prix Genre’ academic award for her “ba-ni-niku” thesis
Speech at the United Nations IGF Kyoto 2023
Interview by TBWA Worldwide
Past Large-scale Survey Projects
Presentations and Publications
2023/12/4 Presented at the University of Malta (Mila)
Mila presented the “VR Lifestyle Survey” 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.
2024/2/24 Presented at VR Club at the Univ. of Illinois
The research unit “Nem x Mila,” conducted an online lecture on February 24, 2024 (Japan Time) at the academic forum of VR Club at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), the prestigious state university in the United States. The lecture, titled “LIVING AS VIRTUAL CHARACTERS: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE ACADEMIA AND METAVERSE NATIVES,” included a demonstration of life in the metaverse and introduced a large-scale survey analying 2,000 metaverse users worldwide, known as the “Social VR Lifestyle Survey 2023.” The discussions mainly revolved around the differences in avatar culture among VR communities in various countries.
2024/7/31 Presented at International Conference “ICRES 2024”
Publications
- Immersive Wire (UK media. Mira’s interview published) : What are the economic benefits of social VR?
- BeyondGames.biz (English media. Mira’s interview published) : Community, Romance And A Growing Economy Among Social VR Users
- Real o Virtual (Spanish media. YouTube streaming 38:25～1:01:55) : La Hora Virtual (YouTube) / (Webpage)
- Twortles (Twitter Live in English. Mira’s interview streamed) : AMA w/ @BredikhinaL | THE VR SURVEY UNCOVERED
- Kiyo Kobayashi (Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur) - Why Did Silicon Valley Serial Entrepreneur Focus on the VR Lifestyle Survey?
- Viverse Blog (HTC VIVE Official Media) : What is Phantom Sense in VR? The Neuroscience of Virtual Sensations
*Japanese media publications are summarized on this page.
