Call for papers: Navigating the governance of the public sphere in metaverse and the virtual worlds universe

DigiApps_Logo

Special Issue of Internet Policy Review

assignment_returned Abstract submission deadline: 17 March 2025
assignment_returned Full paper submission deadline: 17 November 2025

The metaverse stands at the confluence of technological innovation and societal transformation, promising to redefine our digital existence. ‘Metaverse’ is a polysemic term that is understood and interpreted in different ways, in different contexts (Dwivedi et al., 2022). In computer science, the metaverse is understood as a new technical and architectural construct in the form of persistent, connected and fully-immersive three-dimensional, virtual worlds that are linked with the physical world (e.g., through AR technology) in which people can interact through avatars and software agents (Parisi, 2022; Benford, 2021). From the perspective of social sciences and humanities it is viewed as a new social ecosystem where social connectivity and collaboration takes place within a blend of physical and virtual realities, thereby challenging traditional notions of reality, consciousness and existence (Chalmers et al., 2022; Henz, 2022). In the fields of economics and business studies it is seen to give rise to a new digital and virtual economy comprising decentralised marketplaces and virtual assets (Chalmers et al., 2022; D’Ulizia et al., 2024). Matthew Ball’s definition of the metaverse combines many of these elements: “A massively scaled and interoperable network of real-time rendered 3D virtual worlds that can be experienced synchronously and persistently by an effectively unlimited number of users with an individual sense of presence, and with continuity of data, such as identity, history, entitlements, objects, communications, and payments.” (Ball, 2022, p. 47). Building on these different conceptions and definitions, for the purposes of this special issue, the term metaverse is used as an umbrella term to refer to diverse virtual- worlds that enable users to interact with each other and with digital and physical objects within immersive three-dimensional environments.

Such virtual worlds comprise both interconnected virtual ecosystems (e.g., Decentraland, Somnium, Fortnite) and self-contained digital spaces (e.g., Minecraft, IMVU) that often blend the digital with the physical world, combining online platforms with technologies such as blockchain, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR). Thus, there is no single metaverse, but multiple metaverses (Buchholz et al., 2022; see contra Parisi, 2022). However, the term metaverse is used for the sake of simplicity and familiarity. The definition has been intentionally kept broad and open-ended to accommodate different iterations of the term in various disciplines and the fast-paced technological evolution of these virtual worlds and underlying technologies. This call considers “Metaverse” to encompass any virtual ecosystem or self-contained virtual space that consists of one or more platforms, offered by one or more providers both public and private and that can be accessed by users through devices connected to the internet.

The metaverse offers new economic and social opportunities inter alia new interactive digital spaces for social, political and cultural interaction, new forms of commerce (e.g. virtual event hosting), and digital assets (e.g., NFTs and virtual goods and services such as clothing and accessories for avatars). For example, in 2020, Fortnite hosted a virtual concert featuring an avatar of the US singer Travis Scott which attracted over 12 million concurrent viewers (Haasch, 2020).The tourism and cultural industries are tapping into its potential by offering virtual tours of cities (e.g., Augmented Berlin), monuments (AR tour of the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona) and museums (e.g., the REVIVRE project of the National Natural History Museum, Paris). The metaverse is also revolutionising education and research, through collaborative virtual learning environments (e.g., VirBELA, ImmerseMe, Classcraft). Thus, the metaverse is slowly but surely becoming a reality. While the initial hype that accompanied its advent has abated, the challenges it poses are becoming increasingly real and urgent (Büchel & Klös, 2022; Cho et al., 2023, pp. 3-26).

As we envision multiple potential applications for this virtual frontier, we face the critical challenge of creating an accessible, protected digital public sphere(s). Governance frameworks that can adapt to, and shape these emerging realities are needed. In July 2023, the EU Commission (EU Commission 2023) launched its Web 4.0 initiative aimed at both developing and governing the metaverse based on four key strategy pillars i.e., empowering people, businesses, government and shaping global standards for open and interoperable virtual worlds. The achievement of these strategic goals, requires a comprehensive and multi-faceted investigation to identify specific aspects of the current governance framework that need to be revisited and to formulate viable proposals for rendering it more relevant to the age of the metaverse. In January 2024, the European Parliament adopted a Resolution on Virtual worlds – opportunities, risks and policy implications for the single market (2022/2198(INI)), highlighting specific governance-related concerns posed by the advent of virtual worlds. It is therefore time to discuss the governance of the metaverse in depth.

This special issue aims to explore the digital public sphere(s) of the metaverse and the virtual worlds universe and examine how these visions intersect with the complex task of governance in this rapidly evolving digital landscape (Silva et al. 2023; Pistor, 2020; Reinieris, 2023; Sugiyama et al., 2024). It constitutes a complex network of diverse actors who can be human, non-human and even hybrid (e.g. avatars). These actors belong to both the private and public sectors. The effective governance of this universe requires an understanding of the nature of the power-relationships among these actors and how they can be aligned to achieve shared goals (Latour, 2005). We invite scholars to investigate the impact on public life, society and governance challenges in the metaverse. This includes examining how different stakeholders - from lawmakers to tech developers to end-users - imagine the future of the metaverse and the virtual worlds universe and its governance. Submissions may discuss economic development, philosophical views on its development and specific laws such as the EU Digital Services Act (DSA, 2022) and the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (2024).

We seek contributions that navigate the tension between the potential of the virtual worlds universe to exacerbate existing digital challenges and risks (such as privacy and other human rights, data provenance, and power imbalances) and its capacity to create new opportunities for governance structures of human interaction, public debate and economic activity. In doing so, the evolution of interactive digital platforms (e.g., social media platforms) and the challenges and risks they posed for governance frameworks could serve as case studies for offering a legal prognosis of possible future challenges and risks in the virtual worlds universe and potential legal, regulatory and policy responses.

We encourage scholars from different disciplines and perspectives to apply. By bringing together perspectives from Science and Technology Studies (STS), Infrastructure Studies, Communication Studies, Sociology, Law and Regulatory Theory and Computer Science, we aim to develop nuanced understandings of how governance can be conceptualised and implemented at the intersection of these imagined and existing futures, fostering a metaverse that aligns with fundamental rights and societal needs. There is no geographic limit, but contributions should be relevant to the European context in the sense that they should be able to inform EU policy making and contain lessons as to the directions in which the European governance framework(s) should aspire to develop. Comparative studies are welcomed if a European jurisdiction forms a part of the comparison.

We encourage submissions addressing the following themes:

Fundamental rights in metaverse: Analysing how different stakeholders frame the metaverse and its governance, and how these frames shape fundamental rights, public life and technological development. This includes perspectives on inequalities and the potential exacerbation of inequalities in virtual environments.

Sociotechnical systems approach: Applying STS frameworks to understand the co-construction of metaverse technologies and governance structures, exploring the interplay between technical design and social order. This includes a focus on the potential to use emerging technologies such as blockchain, the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) for governance.

Governance model evolution: Examining how existing and emerging governance models (e.g., platform governance, multi-stakeholder governance, polycentric governance) can be adapted or reimagined for the metaverse context. This includes the potential impact and development of institutions and the role of private actors.

Standards and protocols for interoperability: Exploring the development of cross-sector technical standards and governance protocols to enable interaction across diverse metaverse platforms and to achieve a consistent regulatory framework within the EU. Examples can include examination of, but are not limited to, SSO and ISO standards.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Comparative analysis of metaverse governance frameworks across contexts.

  • Human interaction through the metaverse.

  • Ethical considerations in metaverse design and governance.

  • Philosophical perspectives on the governance of the metaverse and virtual realities

  • Development and implementation of interoperability standards for metaverse platforms.

  • Balancing proprietary technologies with open standards in metaverse ecosystems.

  • Legal and regulatory challenges in enforcing cross-platform standards and protocols.

  • Fundamental right protection and privacy (or other right) by design options.

  • Legal and regulatory challenges of minimising impacts on the environment, energy and infrastructural resources.

Special issue editors

  • Annelieke Mooij, Assistant professor, Tilburg University

  • Sunimal Mendis, Assistant professor, Tilburg University

Practical information

Please send your abstract and a one-paragraph CV to a.m.mooij@tilburguniversity.edu and L.G.S.Mendis@tilburguniversity.edu on or before 17 March 2025. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to either of us as well.

The selection of abstracts will be based on the quality of the abstract and its suitability to the topic. The result of the abstract selection will be confirmed to potential authors no later than 21 April 2025.

If your abstract is selected you will be invited to submit a working paper, to be presented at the hybrid workshop which will be held in June or July 2025. The aim of the hybrid workshop is to enable all contributors to receive initial feedback on their working papers. You will therefore also be requested to review and provide feedback on one other contribution made to the special issue.

Following the workshop you will be given the opportunity to further improve your working paper before submitting the final paper. As part of the publication process you commit to submitting a full paper by 17 November 2025. All final papers will be subject to a peer-review process by the journal prior to being accepted for publication.

Important dates

  • Deadline for submitting abstracts: 17 March 2025.

  • Decisions on abstracts to be sent to authors: 21 April 2025.

  • Workshop (hybrid format): June or July 2025 (final date to be determined).

  • Deadline for the submission of full papers: 17 November 2025.

  • The planned publication date of this special issue is Q2 2026.

Additional opportunity

This special issue is a component of the DIGI-APPS project at Tilburg Law School (funded by the NWO). The DIGI-APPS project is also planning to attend the Interdisciplinary Conference: Creating Spaces for Digital Futures, 09.10.2025 – 10.10.2025 in Bochum - CAIS and we encourage accepted authors to use this conference as an additional opportunity for obtaining feedback on their papers.

References

Benford, S. (2021). Metaverse: five things to know – and what it could mean for you. The Conversation, http://theconversation.com/metaverse-five-things-to-know-and-what-it-could-mean-for-you-171061.

Büchel, J., & Klös, H-P. (2022) Metaverse: Hype oder “next big thing”?

Potenziale und Erfolgsbedingungen. IW-Report 42/2022. Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft.

Buchholz, F., Oppermann, L., & Prinz, W. (2022). There’s more than one metaverse. I-Com, 21(3), 313–324. https://doi.org/10.1515/icom-2022-0034

Chalmers, D., Fisch, C., Matthews, R., Quinn, W., & Recker, J. (2022). Beyond the bubble: Will NFTs and digital proof of ownership empower creative industry entrepreneurs? Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 17, e00309. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JBVI.2022.E00309

Chalmers, D. J. (2022). Reality+ Virtual Worlds And The Problems Of Philosophy. W. W. Norton & Company.

Cho, J., tom Dieck, M., Cho, J. (2023) What is the Metaverse? Challenges, Opportunities, Definition, and Future Research Directions. In Jung, T. tom Dieck, C., & Correia Loureiro, S.M.(Eds.), Extended Reality and Metaverse Immersive Technology in Times of Crisis (pp. 3-26). Springer.

D’Ulizia, A., Federico, D., & Notte, A. (2024). The Technological Innovation of the Metaverse in Financial Sector: Current State, Opportunities, and Open Challenges. Intelligent Systems in Accounting, Finance and Management, 31(3), e1566. https://doi.org/10.1002/ISAF.1566

Dwivedi, Y. K., Hughes, L., Baabdullah, A. M., Ribeiro-Navarrete, S., Giannakis, M., Al-Debei, M. M., Dennehy, D., Metri, B., Buhalis, D., Cheung, C. M. K., Conboy, K., Doyle, R., Dubey, R., Dutot, V., Felix, R., Goyal, D. P., Gustafsson, A., Hinsch, C., Jebabli, I., … Wamba, S. F. (2022). Metaverse beyond the hype: Multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy. International Journal of Information Management, 66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2022.102542

EU Commission Press Release, ’Towards the next technological transition: Commission presents EU strategy to lead on Web 4.0 and virtual worlds’, 11 July 2023.

Haasch, P. (2020, April 24). Travis Scott's 'Fortnite' concert was the game's most visually impressive event to date. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/travis-scott-fortnite-concert-video-photo-visually-stunning-the-scotts-2020-4?international=true&r=US&IR=T

Henz, P. (2022). The societal impact of the metaverse. Discover Artificial Intelligence, 2(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1007/S44163-022-00032-6/METRICS

Latour, B. (2005). Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory. Oxford University Press.

Matthew Ball. (2022). The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionize Everything. Liveright Publishing Corporation.

Parisi, T. (2021, October 22). The Seven Rules of the Metaverse. Medium. https://medium.com/meta-verses/the-seven-rules-of-the-metaverse-7d4e06fa864c

Pistor, K. (2020) Statehood in the digital age. Constellations, 27. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8675.12475

Renieris, E. (2023). Reclaiming Human Rights at the Dawn of the Metaverse. MIT Press.

Siliva, E. Vaz, J. and Freitas, A. (2023). Metaverse as dispute: challenges for a state action agenda. Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance. Metaverse as dispute: challenges for a state action agenda | Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance

Sugiyama, H. Ferrarini C. and Lau, E. (2024) Protecting privacy: a gateway to freedom of opinion and expression in Virtual Reality. IEEE 25th International Symposium on a World of Wireless, Mobile and Multimedia Networks.

​