Examination of the intention to use metaverse in terms of some psychosocial variables

The Metaverse is described as a row of interconnected digital universes. This study addresses the intention to use the Metaverse within the axis of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). In the study, the main components of TPB were examined in terms of Metaverse attitudes and the intention to use the Metaverse. Moreover, basic psychological needs within the framework of Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the desire to leave lasting piece of work within the framework of Terror Management Theory (TMT), and variables such as interaction anxiety and digital addiction and their relations with the intention to use the Metaverse were addressed. With this perspective, measurement tools were developed in the study regarding attitudes towards the Metaverse, intention to use the Metaverse, and the desire to leave a lasting piece of work. Validity and reliability analyses for the developed measurement tools were conducted. The sample of the study consists of 324 university students (240 women, 84 men) aged 18-45 studying in different departments in Turkey. In the research, "Basic Psychological Needs Scale", "Metaverse Attitude Scale", "Metaverse Using Intention Scale", "Desire to Leave a Lasting Piece of Work Scale", "Interaction Anxiety Scale" and "Digital Addiction Scale" were used to measure their relations with each other. The conducted analyses showed that the developed scales have validity and reliability. In addition, it came to light that autonomy, relatedness, attitudes towards the Metaverse, interaction anxiety, and digital addiction have positive correlations with the intention to use the Metaverse. There was no relation between the desire to leave a lasting piece of work and Metaverse. Furthermore, it was observed that attitudes towards the Metaverse predict the intention to use the Metaverse.