Migration to the metaverse and its predictors: Attachment to virtual places and metaverse-related threat

Abstract

The most ambitious visions of metaverse technology promise to create virtual places that offer the same possibilities as the real world. However, as any novel technology, the metaverse raises controversies and questions. Does one want to migrate to the metaverse? Does one's willingness to move to virtual worlds depend on the bonds with existing virtual places and the sense of threat related to this technology? To address these questions, we drew on the theories of place attachment and intergroup threat. In two studies – (1) among users of open-world games (N = 366) and (2) using a sample representative of the Polish population in terms of age, gender and size of the residential place (N = 995) – we observed a low level of willingness to migrate to the metaverse. The participants displayed a high level of perceived metaverse-related threat, ranging from privacy concerns to the belief that metaverse can deprive one of access to essential human experiences. However, greater attachment to virtual, as opposed to real, places was associated with both an increased willingness to migrate to the metaverse and a low level of perceived threat. The results provide a better understanding of individuals' perception of the metaverse and of how the bonds with virtual and real places translate into attitudes towards metaverse technology.