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Harassment in Social Virtual Reality: Challenges for Platform Governance

Authors:

Lindsay Blackwell,

Nicole Ellison,

Natasha Elliott-Deflo,

Raz SchwartzAuthors Info & Claims

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, Volume 3, Issue CSCW

Article No.: 100, Pages 1 - 25

https://doi.org/10.1145/3359202

Published: 07 November 2019 Publication History

Abstract

In immersive virtual reality (VR) environments, experiences of harassment can be exacerbated by features such as synchronous voice chat, heightened feelings of presence and embodiment, and avatar movements that can feel like violations of personal space (such as simulated touching or grabbing). Simultaneously, efforts to govern these developing spaces are made more complex by the distributed landscape of virtual reality applications and the dynamic nature of local community norms. To better understand this nascent social and psychological environment, we interviewed VR users (n=25) about their experiences with harassment, abuse, and discomfort in social VR. We find that users' definitions of what constitutes online harassment are subjective and highly personal, which poses significant challenges for the enforcement of platform- or application-level policies. We also find that embodiment and presence in VR spaces make harassment feel more intense, while ephemerality and non-standardized application controls make it difficult to escape or report unwanted behavior. Finally, we find that shared norms for appropriate behavior in social VR are still emergent, and that users distinguish between newcomers who unknowingly violate expectations for appropriate behavior and those users who aim to cause intentional harm. We draw from social norms theory to help explain why norm formation is particularly challenging in virtual reality environments, and we discuss the implications of our findings for the top-down governance of online communities by platforms. We conclude by recommending alternative strategies for community governance.

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https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-2432-5.ch002
Chawki MBasu SChoi K(2024)Redefining Boundaries in the Metaverse: Navigating the Challenges of Virtual Harm and User SafetyLaws10.3390/laws1303003313:3(33)Online publication date: 24-May-2024
https://doi.org/10.3390/laws13030033
MacArthur CKukshinov EHarley DPawar TModi NNacke L(2024)Experiential disparities in social VR: uncovering power dynamics and inequalityFrontiers in Virtual Reality10.3389/frvir.2024.13517945Online publication date: 9-Aug-2024
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Index Terms

Harassment in Social Virtual Reality: Challenges for Platform Governance
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Collaborative and social computing
    1. Collaborative and social computing theory, concepts and paradigms
      1. Social media
  2. Human computer interaction (HCI)
    1. Interaction paradigms
      1. Virtual reality

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cover image Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction Volume 3, Issue CSCW

November 2019

5026 pages

EISSN:2573-0142

DOI:10.1145/3371885

Editors:
Airi Lampinen
Stockholm University, Sweden
,
Darren Gergle
Northwestern University, USA
,
David A. Shamma
FXPAL, USA

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Copyright © 2019 ACM.

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Published: 07 November 2019

Published in PACMHCI Volume 3, Issue CSCW

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https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-2432-5.ch002
Chawki MBasu SChoi K(2024)Redefining Boundaries in the Metaverse: Navigating the Challenges of Virtual Harm and User SafetyLaws10.3390/laws1303003313:3(33)Online publication date: 24-May-2024
https://doi.org/10.3390/laws13030033
MacArthur CKukshinov EHarley DPawar TModi NNacke L(2024)Experiential disparities in social VR: uncovering power dynamics and inequalityFrontiers in Virtual Reality10.3389/frvir.2024.13517945Online publication date: 9-Aug-2024
https://doi.org/10.3389/frvir.2024.1351794
Hube NReinelt MVidackovic KSedlmair M(2024)A study on the influence of situations on personal avatar characteristicsVisual Computing for Industry, Biomedicine, and Art10.1186/s42492-024-00174-77:1Online publication date: 23-Sep-2024
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