Utopian and dystopian aspects of the metaverse: A thematic analysi̇s of expert opi̇ni̇ons

Developments in internet technology cause significant changes in social life. This virtual universe, which is presented as an alternative to the physical world, is thought to harbor potentials and risks that may have important consequences for societies, just like other digital technologies. The main purpose of this thesis is to describe the predictions about how the Metaverse, a virtual universe, will change social relations. For this purpose, interviews were conducted with academics in the field of social sciences and informatics experts who have conducted and are conducting studies in the field of Metaverse. Thematic analysis was applied to the data obtained from these interviews and it was determined on which themes the experts discussed the relationship of the Metaverse with society. As a result of the thematic analysis, two main themes emerged: "Metaverse as a digital environment" and "Metaverse and social relations". The theme "Metaverse as a digital environment" was categorized into four sub-themes: "future visions and possibilities for the Metaverse", "privacy", "data security" and "digital inequality". In the other main theme called "Metaverse and social relations", participants' statements were evaluated in three sub-themes: "power and control", "metaverse and social change" and "social (in)equality and (un)democratization". Finally, these two main themes and their sub-themes were interpreted together with the discussions in the literature, and the possible consequences of the interaction of society with this technological environment were revealed.