Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/250402 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Citation: 
[Journal:] Internet Policy Review [ISSN:] 2197-6775 [Volume:] 10 [Issue:] 4 [Publisher:] Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society [Place:] Berlin [Year:] 2021 [Pages:] 1-23
Publisher: 
Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin
Abstract: 
Virtual Reality (VR) represents an emerging class of spatial computing technology reliant upon the capture and processing of data about the user (such as their body and its interface with the hardware), or their surrounding environment. Much like digital media more generally, there are growing concerns of who stands to benefit from VR as a data-intensive form of technology, and where its potential data-borne harms may lie. Drawing from critical data studies, we examine the case of Facebook's Oculus VR-a market leading VR technology, central to their metaverse ambitions. Through this case, we argue that VR as a data-intensive device is not one of unalloyed benefit, but one fraught with power inequity-one that has the potential to exacerbate wealth inequity, institute algorithmic bias, and bring about new forms of digital exclusion. We contend that policy to date has had limited engagement with VR, and that regulatory intervention will be needed as VR becomes more widely adopted in society.
Subjects: 
Virtual reality
Critical Data Studies
Sensors
Power
Data
Social media
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
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Document Type: 
Article

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