As part of our mission to develop ethical and safe virtual spaces, the META-TOO project has successfully completed its first pilot study investigating bystander behavior in the Metaverse. The study, coordinated by IDIBAPS and supported by NKUA, adapts the Golden Rule Embodiment paradigm (Banakou & Slater, 2021) into a shared online VR environment.
Participants took part in a job interview, during which a simulated harassment scenario unfolded. The study measured:
- Response times and types of intervention
- Implicit and explicit bias towards women
- Body language and sentiment
The pilot also tested the effectiveness of one of the “5D” bystander strategies (Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, Direct) within immersive digital settings. These insights will directly inform META-TOO’s Code of Conduct for Social VR and future policy recommendations.
This milestone marks a crucial step toward empowering users to act against harassment in virtual spaces.
