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Envisioning Digital Practices in the Metaverse: A Methodological Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Luca Sabatucci

    (Institute for High Performance Computing and Networking, National Research Council of Italy, Via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy)

  • Agnese Augello

    (Institute for High Performance Computing and Networking, National Research Council of Italy, Via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy)

  • Giuseppe Caggianese

    (Institute for High Performance Computing and Networking, National Research Council of Italy, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy)

  • Luigi Gallo

    (Institute for High Performance Computing and Networking, National Research Council of Italy, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy)

Abstract

Researchers are exploring methods that exploit digital twins as all-purpose abstractions for sophisticated modelling and simulation, bringing elements of the real world into the virtual realm. Digital twins are essential elements of the digital transformation of society, which mostly benefit manufacturing, smart cities, healthcare contexts, and in general systems that include humans in the loop. As the metaverse concept continues to evolve, the line separating the virtual and the real will progressively fade away. Considering the metaverse’s goal to emulate our social reality, it becomes essential to examine the aspects that characterise real-world interaction practices and explicitly model both physical and social contexts. While the unfolding metaverse may reshape these practices in distinct ways from their real-world counterparts, our position is that it is essential to incorporate social theories into the modelling processes of digital twins within the metaverse. In this work, we discuss our perspective by introducing a digital practice model inspired by the theory of social practice. We illustrate this model by exploiting the scenario of a virtual grocery shop designed to help older adults reduce their social isolation.

Suggested Citation

  • Luca Sabatucci & Agnese Augello & Giuseppe Caggianese & Luigi Gallo, 2023. "Envisioning Digital Practices in the Metaverse: A Methodological Perspective," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-19, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jftint:v:15:y:2023:i:12:p:394-:d:1294706
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Georg Holtz, 2014. "Generating Social Practices," Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, vol. 17(1), pages 1-17.
    2. James Hutson, 2022. "Social Virtual Reality: Neurodivergence and Inclusivity in the Metaverse," Societies, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-7, July.
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