In recent years, the idea of “Metaverse” has gained significant attention from various fields, such as science and technology, business, finance, sociology, political science, law, and even the arts and humanities. Yet, it is necessary to realise that this is not our first time to experience such an exciting moment with regard to the technological advancements. From the “dot-com bubble” at the turn of the twenty-first century to the current trend of “artificial intelligence” and “virtual reality,” the new technologies have been creating quite a stir in economic, social and cultural sphere, which makes us announce in haste the birth of a new era. However, as we all know, the initial excitement and enthusiasm is usually followed by certain disappointment, because those new technologies or even ideas often promise an alluring vision characterised by unrealistic exaggerations. Therefore, there is an urgent need to reiterate the social responsibilities of humanism in the upsurge of “Metaverse.”
The first is to stay calm and keep a clear head. Gloried as the evolution of Internet, the “Metaverse” has been changing the ways we live, think and behave. As a result, many people might assume that the new age of “Metaverse” has arrived. Nevertheless, with an extensive survey on the existing “Metaverse” studies, such as its technology and application, the consequent social transformation and even the relevant sci-fi films and literature, it is easy for us to notice that the so-called new age of “Metaverse” is simply a “myth.” This myth foregrounds a sci-fi artistic world but doesn’t popularise technological knowledge and critical reflections, which urges us to remain highly sceptical about the illusory situations.
The second is to be rational and analytical. In terms of the impact of the “Metaverse,” there are two opposite viewpoints. Some people believe that the “Metaverse” is a magic cure for the social diseases and thus would be an accelerator for the Utopian society. By contrast, others assert that the “Metaverse” is a Trojan Horse for mass conformity, making humans individuals without souls, which signifies the triumph of machine civilisation over that of Homo sapiens. Even so, it is crucial to understand that the “Metaverse” is not an ideological outcome but a label for the constellation of advanced technologies and their potential applications. To be more precise, it is essentially the intersection of the Internet and virtual reality, and we are still in the early stage of its developments.
The third concerns active involvement and intervention. A new technology’s application usually leads to numerous great social changes. Whether it liberates or alienates people depends on not only the technology itself but also the institutional mechanisms about it. As for the rule-makers, how would the law protect individual rights, especially when it comes to cultural differences? For instance, would the virtual world be accessed via the Internet real-name or anonymous systems? The answer would vary in different countries and situations. Meanwhile, since the most “Metaverse” application scenarios are closely related to literature and culture, there must be an economic boom of cultural and creative industries in the future. Hence, how to provide intellectual guidance and prevent cultural anomie becomes another significant issue.
In shouldering the social responsibilities, humanistic scholars will undoubtedly play a pivotal role. And the meaningful academic research must begin with the deconstruction of the “Metaverse myth.” In this special issue, we have selected papers across different disciplines, such as philosophy, literature, film and television, and cultural studies.
Wang Feng discusses the intertwined phenomenon of the metaverse and various life forms due to the advancement in technology. Temporarily, the metaverse is parallel to the real world, but from a long-term perspective, nearly all forms of life would be shaped by technology. Therefore, the metaverse and real world are actually not in opposition.
Based on his observation of the current development of metaverse related technology, Zeng Jun points out a sharp contrast between the full-fledged artistic imagination and the limited technological realisation, a situation which he calls “the primary stage” of metaverse. Zeng also look to a future advanced stage of metaverse of which cognitive styles evolve from disembodied to embodied, aesthetics shift from isolation to connection, impacting metaverse development, and “virtual world” and “real world” will come to an integration.
Shan Xiaoxi argues that both the English term “metaverse” and its Chinese translation “Yuan Yuzhou” have profound connotations, referring to the self-generative and digitised “meta mode of existence.” Since it is a synthesised outcome of Internet, digital games and virtual reality, the author proposes four specific dimensions of the Metaverse, namely, actual world, enhanced virtual world, mirrored virtual world and original virtual world.
Lan Jiang focuses on the ontology of material objects, especially the things themselves. In the metaverse world, all objects have been reset according to the rules of data and algorithms, thus a new perspective is needed to understand the relationship between different objects in the digital space. And the author suggests that the idea of “interobjectivity” would make a difference in creating a new materialism in which the objects, together with the subjects, can also serve as a revolutionary force in the digital world.
Focusing on Metaverse Art’s three aspects: simulacra, media, and subjectivity, Xiong Yiran tries to make response to what she considers to be the most urgent task of Metaverse art: to face the fundamental stance of scepticism of finitude and subjectivity that corresponds to the ontological changes of the digital turn, which means the need to construct a contemporary epistemology that matches the Metaverse, a rational understanding and knowledge system that is subordinate to the virtual world, in order to achieve a balance between sensory experience and rationality.
Zhou Zhiqiang maintains that we are witnessing the birth of a new civilisation, that is, the digital civilisation, which is gradually transforming the industrial civilisation. The metaverse narrative inverts the relationship between human beings and the story, because it creates a new storyworld where the human body “feels” the interactive somatosensation and hallucinatory immersion through “seeing, hearing, touching and knowing.” Consequently, all kinds of individual’s desires are transformed and reborn in virtual reality and this inevitably means a process of empirical production in terms of “something” castrated.
In Félix Guattari’s post-humanist approach, Liu Yigang reveals the metaverse’s ecological frame in three categories, namely, environmental, social and mental. The infrastructure of the metaverse materialises data and information fluxes; the metaverse intensifies the environmental crisis via the transmission effects through related industries; the mental ecology of digital dwellers is dominated by the algorithm-driven consumerism, which imperils the nature--human relationship. It becomes, therefore, an urgent issue to initiate a nature-culture continuum so as to promote an ecological ideology in virtual interactions.
According to Ling Yu, LUO Jiangyu and Zhang Yu, the metaverse creates new possibilities of artistic and literary expressions in five dimensions. Firstly, it blurs the boundary between literary humanity and post-humanity, which means the creators and characters of literature can be human, biochemical human, cyborg, AI intelligent human, and etc. Secondly, it transcends the traditional time frames, allowing for a coexistence of circular time, anti-linear time, chrono cross, wormhole time, multi-universe time and others. Thirdly, it breaks the spatial boundaries, where the real and imaginary worlds merge into a multi-avatar reality. Moreover, the boundaries between the creators and audience dissolve, as the players can play both roles in interaction and communication. Finally, the fused media technologies produce a super-media world, where numerous virtual media platforms, like literature, film and television, games and newspapers, work together in creating a holographic landscape.
Xie Qian explores the impact of crypto art and blockchain technology on community building. Starting from Locke’s theory of property rights, she brings the subjectivity logic in the real world into the digital virtual world. In the current regimes of technological capitalism, to empower labour requires to reconsider the ownership of digital labour. As a result, the author assumes that the idea of blockchain’s community mechanism and consensus consciousness might be a better way in consolidating both the consumers’ and labourers’ subjectivity in digital economy.
As robotics, AI, and metaverse technology are increasingly used in sci-fi films, sci-fi films in turn shape our understanding of these technological advancements through artistic representations. Chen Yu examines the evolution of intelligent imagery in sci-fi films related to technological development, in order to apprehend the role of intelligent imagery as well as its relationship with humans.
Chen Chunfeng’s article offers a comprehensive overview of the literary theories and cultural practices concerning the “metaverse” in mainland China. In outlining the factors contributing to the rise of the “metaverse” in China, this paper finds out that the “metaverse” refers more to conceptual imagination than advanced technologies. Generally speaking, the greatest achievement of this paper lies in its critical evaluation of existing studies conducted by Chinese scholars, especially when it comes to a comparison with the research in other countries.
Andrea Hayes explores game design methods to translate a South African novel Souvenir by Jane Rosenthal. Virtual Reality experience can be a useful vehicle for raising awareness of climate change issues and preserving stories on the Metaverse. With a particular focus on practical methodologies for creating 3D game objects, the article explores narrative design methodologies for storytelling in game design and examines practical methodologies for creating 3D game objects and assets.