Resumo

In recent decades, the concept of the Metaverse has evolved and moved closer to reality, thanks to advances in the technologies of Virtual Reality, Holography, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain. In this study, it is postulated that the Metaverse is formed by a set of Experience Networks, that are virtual platforms created by companies to offer an immersive three-dimensional space where users can interact and participate in several specific applications, such as digital games, spaces for coexistence and leisure, markets for buying and selling digital assets and spaces for relationships.

The following research problem is proposed in this article: how do the emerging Metaverse Experience Networks differ from the current Internet Social Networks in terms of characteristics and potentialities? The objective of this article is: propose a conceptual framework that makes it possible to characterize the emerging Metaverse Experience Networks as a new object of academic study, different from the current Internet Social Networks and that succeeds them chronologically.

The Metaverse Experience Networks can be defined as being composed of a Dodecahedral Framework with 12 analysis variables: Three-dimensionality; Hyper-realism of environments; Immersive interactivity; Synchronicity; Not-subject to the laws of physics; Digital Identities; Gamification and Advergames; Privacy and interaction mediated by Artificial Intelligence according to rules of conduct; Sustainability; Interoperability of Experience Networks; Personal and digital asset authentication performed by Non-fungible tokens; Monetization/value exchanges based on Cryptocurrencies.

The Dodecahedral Framework presents potentialities for the marketing and relationship with consumers carried out by companies in the metaverse experience networks, by offering an analytical model that allows to identify the opportunities and challenges of each variable for the creation of communication, engagement, loyalty and monetization. For example, companies can exploit the three-dimensionality of the environment to create sensory and emotional experiences for consumers; immersive interactivity to stimulate consumer participation; the representation by avatars to personalize the products.

The Dodecahedral Framework enables academic benefits for the advancement of research in relation to metaverse experience networks, by providing a theoretical framework that contributes to the definition, delimitation, classification and comparison of metaverse experience networks, as well as to the formulation of hypotheses, questions and research objectives. This framework also stimulates the development of interdisciplinary and multimethodological approaches that can capture the complexity and multidimensionality of metaverse experience networks.

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