When I was a little girl, I used to love pretending I had superpowers. In my various make-believe worlds, I could fly, have laser vision, and visit space. Our imagination is the only limit to what we can experience, and this is one of the reasons why so many are fascinated by a Metaverse concept, existing in a world outside our physical reality. At my company Warpin Reality, we deploy immersive technology aiming to enhance the human experience and provide a holistic use for VR and AR in people’s lives

TECHNOLOGY’S INCLUSIVITY PROBLEM

Across the entire technology sector, there’s an inclusivity problem. When the Internet - the most transformative technology in history - was born, it was by men for men. From unrealistic female body standards for video game characters to racially discriminatory recruitment AI tools, it’s clear that a white-male-dominated tech industry will not be able to produce the fantastic opportunities we’re hoping for in the next technological leap.

In tech, women hold only 16% of senior-level jobs and 10% of executive positions. Only 5% of startups are female-owned, and only 5% of women are in leadership roles. These aren’t purely statistics: this gender disparity actively affects immersive technology. When VR headsets started to emerge, women were twice as likely to experience cyber-induced motion sickness than men when using the headsets - because most extended reality hardware was created and sized for male anatomy.

As a young girl, I loved playing video games, which stemmed from playing Zelda with my little brother in his bedroom nonstop. Later, I moved on to playing real-time strategy games and interacting with other gamers online. I have firsthand experience of how toxic the gaming environment can be for a girl. In fact, when I played, I used to pretend to be a boy to avoid online harassment.

Now, 20 years later, my daughters, who are eleven and seven years old, buy and decorate houses, do budget spreadsheets, adopt pets, and trade with their friends, all online. And though things have changed, my girls still have to explain why they enjoy gaming. During the pandemic, we solidified these synthetic worlds, giving them a whole new meaning for young people. The new generation will have a digital life and a life in our lived reality, and to them, it’ll seem perfectly natural.

THE SCOPE OF THE METAVERSE AND VR

Over the last two years, the conversation surrounding the Metaverse and VR has been rife with future-gazing. Let’s make one thing clear: the Metaverse is not some science fiction fantasy. It doesn’t mean a pixelated space for Mark Zuckerberg’s avatar, someone watching Vision Pro TV on their sofa, or overpriced NFTs. Simply put, it’s the evolution of the internet, and though it will take some time, the building blocks are being moved into place right now.

There will be, and already is, less need for business travel and commuting, with more time dedicated to wellbeing and connection. VR provides global knowledge in ways that suit everyone, incorporating people’s physical, emotional, visual, and hearing needs. The focus in the mainstream has been on gaming, social media, and NFTs - which I know will be a lot of fun - but the real benefits for humanity will be in training, education, work, treatment and experience.

Why will the Metaverse be most impactful in this space? Simple: the speed of technological progress.

Half of our workforce will need retraining and will have to learn new skills by 2025. Even now, the methods we are using to train and reskill workers are costly and inefficient. How many Zoom meetings or e-learning sessions do we have to sit through? Training in VR is both more enjoyable and aligned with technological developments, reducing work-related injuries by up to 45% and makes learning 4x faster than traditional methods - democratising education like never before.

WOMEN LEADING THE (VIRTUAL) WAY

Given how extensive the Metaverse will become, it must be built to be inclusive, where men and women are finally treated equally and have the same chances to succeed. We’ve failed to achieve this with the internet (so far). Crucially, the same problems we face online will continue in the Metaverse if we don’t change our approach.

Users’ emotional connection to VR content is nearly quadruple that of their connection to a 2D screen. If you get harassed in VR, you’ll be four times more upset. A 2021 study of Facebook’s VR Chat found it plagued with abuse, harassment, racism and pornographic content, discovering users, including minors, being exposed to abusive behaviour every seven minutes. But with proper regulation and safeguarding, VR’s enhanced emotional connection can be, and is being, used for good. People will re-adapt and re-learn communication, something I think we’ve lost with flat 2D screens.

As women in immersive tech, we need to take up space, be visible and demand participation in the Metaverse’s construction and VR’s development. We need to lobby for it to be a safe space for women and girls. Representation of women alone is not enough, however. Participation and uplift are just as important. Tech must become an attractive career prospect for younger women. There’s still a way to go for gender inclusivity in tech; but there are encouraging signs, such as Apple’s new Vision Pro, where apps and even the headset itself are built for all genders.

In founding Warpin in 2016, we wanted to integrate what VR really brings to the table and what this industry needs: balance and opportunities. For me to be able to combine being a mother and working in an industry I love, I had to create an environment which facilitates that and opens the door for women who have a passion for tech, but not necessarily a technical background. We need to realise that the Metaverse’s construction is not only a technical question, but a philosophical one.

CONCLUSION

I have no doubt that the future is bright. The Metaverse and immersive technology can be an equaliser and a force for good. But we need to approach it philosophically: what type of world do we want to create? Who is it for? How can we remove danger? Instead of only reacting to inequality, we must proactively plan for real change, modernising outdated patterns in existing tech culture and making equitable digital worlds.

If designed correctly, the Metaverse and VR can change lives. If designed incorrectly, it can perpetuate inequalities.

The digital world can act as an example for our 'real' world, so history’s mistakes of discrimination must be avoided. If built by inclusive and diverse teams, the Metaverse offers an opportunity to build a world where gender parity is the norm. This isn’t a question for the distant future: it’s a question for right now.

This article originally appeared in the Sept/Oct issue of Startups Magazine. Click here to subscribe.