Ethics in the Virtual World
Beyond bias and exclusion, virtual reality raises many other potential concerns.
Emotional Effects
Virtual Reality is capable of triggering a wide range of emotional responses, from joy to sadness, elation to terror and confidence to fear. This is perfectly fine if it is consensual and the user is fully aware of what they are undertaking. However, the tech industry has a long history of embedding “easter eggs”— little surprises that can be discovered by users that are often not part of the application’s original function.
Embedding “shock” easter eggs seems like an inevitability, but it could be highly unethical if the user is completely unprepared for such a thing.
Psychology
Along similar lines, it is as yet unclear to what extent a user can suffer the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from a VR experience. There have been multiple anecdotes from victims of harassment in VR who describe post-attack symptoms that are remarkably similar to PTSD. A closely related concern is that we still do not fully understand the short and long term impact VR can have on the human brain. Furthermore, there is already clear evidence of virtual reality’s ability to manipulate user behavior without the user’s knowledge or consent.
Virtual Safety
If there is one thing that has remained true about the internet for the past two decades, it is that no matter what you can think of, someone on the internet somewhere will have done it, documented it, and shared it with a group of like-minded people. This ranges from professional groups and political affiliations to hobbies, to fan sites for even the most obscure films, TV shows and actors, to an almost infinite array of other topics.
Unfortunately, it also includes the nastier side of human nature, from blatant bigotry, to extremism, hate speech and so much more. While the merits and limitations of free speech can, and should, be debated, it is clearly unethical to welcome a user to a given virtual environment without at least preparing them for the type of material they are likely to encounter. Informed consent is a critical ethical consideration.
Future Consideration
As an emerging technology area gaining considerable momentum, the future of virtual reality, augmented reality and extended reality looks bright. Novel integrations of AR and VR with robotics and remote presence provide tantalizing glimpses of an exciting future. But to reach that bright future, ethical scrutiny is essential. Ethics and informed consent must become a foundational component in the development of any virtual world experience.