IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/tefoso/v210y2025ics0040162524006759.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Unraveling the dynamics of digital equality and trust in AI-empowered metaverses and AI-VR-convergence

Author

Listed:
  • Jin, Seunga Venus
  • Ryu, Ehri

Abstract

Metaverses may present innovative channels for business and finance, education, and workplaces. Drawing from the Diffusion of Innovation Theory and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) as well as the literature on digital equality, this research attempts to unravel the dynamics of digital equality and trust in AI-empowered metaverses for various industry sectors. Three cross-sectional surveys (NTotal = 1086) examined US Internet users' intention to adopt metaverses for business, education, and workplaces. Structural equation models were estimated using Mplus 8.8. Study 1 indicates dynamic relationships among digital equality (commerce dimension), blockchain transparency, privacy concerns, and adoption intention. Study 2 shows dynamic associations among digital equality (educational, social, and political dimensions), digital adaptability, loneliness, and adoption intention. Study 3 demonstrates dynamic interconnections among digital equality (labor, government, and health dimensions), digital adaptability, identity threat, and adoption intention. Across three datasets, trust mediates the relationship between digital equality and adoption intention. Theoretical contributions to the emerging literature on decentralized finance (DeFi), AI-driven digital transformation, and AI-VR-convergence are discussed. DeFi businesses, enterprises, policy makers, educators, professional training providers, and workforce developers need to consider third-level digital (in)equality and digital adaptability in developing equitable, sustainable, and inclusive user experience (UX) in AI-empowered metaverses.

Suggested Citation

  • Jin, Seunga Venus & Ryu, Ehri, 2025. "Unraveling the dynamics of digital equality and trust in AI-empowered metaverses and AI-VR-convergence," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:210:y:2025:i:c:s0040162524006759
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123877
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162524006759
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123877?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ukobitz, Desirée Valeria & Faullant, Rita, 2022. "The relative impact of isomorphic pressures on the adoption of radical technology: Evidence from 3D printing," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    2. Chakraborty, Debarun & Patre, Smruti & Tiwari, Devisha, 2023. "Metaverse mingle: Discovering dating intentions in metaverse," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    3. Jaung, Wanggi, 2022. "Digital forest recreation in the metaverse: Opportunities and challenges," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    4. Pietro De Giovanni, 2023. "Sustainability of the Metaverse: A Transition to Industry 5.0," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-29, March.
    5. Nambisan, Satish & Wright, Mike & Feldman, Maryann, 2019. "The digital transformation of innovation and entrepreneurship: Progress, challenges and key themes," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(8), pages 1-1.
    6. Anton Korinek & Joseph E. Stiglitz, 2018. "Artificial Intelligence and Its Implications for Income Distribution and Unemployment," NBER Chapters, in: The Economics of Artificial Intelligence: An Agenda, pages 349-390, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Chen, Yan & Bellavitis, Cristiano, 2020. "Blockchain disruption and decentralized finance: The rise of decentralized business models," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 13(C).
    8. Shang, Rui, 2023. "Divide or dividend: How digital finance impacts educational equality," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 55(PA).
    9. Zhisheng Chen, 2023. "Artificial Intelligence-Virtual Trainer: Innovative Didactics Aimed at Personalized Training Needs," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 14(2), pages 2007-2025, June.
    10. Arpaci, Ibrahim & Karatas, Kasim & Kusci, Ismail & Al-Emran, Mostafa, 2022. "Understanding the social sustainability of the Metaverse by integrating UTAUT2 and big five personality traits: A hybrid SEM-ANN approach," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    11. Al-Emran, Mostafa, 2023. "Beyond technology acceptance: Development and evaluation of technology-environmental, economic, and social sustainability theory," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    12. Brett Hudson Matthews, 2019. "Hidden constraints to digital financial inclusion: the oral-literate divide," Development in Practice, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(8), pages 1014-1028, November.
    13. Ayse Demir & Vanesa Pesqué-Cela & Yener Altunbas & Victor Murinde, 2022. "Fintech, financial inclusion and income inequality: a quantile regression approach," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 86-107, January.
    14. Okazaki, Shintaro & Eisend, Martin & Plangger, Kirk & de Ruyter, Ko & Grewal, Dhruv, 2020. "Understanding the Strategic Consequences of Customer Privacy Concerns: A Meta-Analytic Review," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 96(4), pages 458-473.
    15. Palm, Alvar, 2022. "Innovation systems for technology diffusion: An analytical framework and two case studies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    16. Li, Chengming & Huo, Peng & Wang, Zeyu & Zhang, Weiguang & Liang, Feiyan & Mardani, Abbas, 2023. "Digitalization generates equality? Enterprises’ digital transformation, financing constraints, and labor share in China," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    17. Helge Svare & Anne Haugen Gausdal & Guido Möllering, 2020. "The function of ability, benevolence, and integrity-based trust in innovation networks," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(6), pages 585-604, June.
    18. Alexander J.A.M. Van Deursen & Ellen J. Helsper & Rebecca Eynon, 2016. "Development and validation of the Internet Skills Scale (ISS)," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 64485, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    19. Balakrishnan, Janarthanan & Abed, Salma S. & Jones, Paul, 2022. "The role of meta-UTAUT factors, perceived anthropomorphism, perceived intelligence, and social self-efficacy in chatbot-based services?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    20. Delke, Vincent & Schiele, Holger & Buchholz, Wolfgang & Kelly, Stephen, 2023. "Implementing Industry 4.0 technologies: Future roles in purchasing and supply management," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    21. Kim, Yeolib & Kim, Seung Hyun & Peterson, Robert A. & Choi, Jeonghye, 2023. "Privacy concern and its consequences: A meta-analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    22. Aysan, Ahmet Faruk & Gozgor, Giray & Nanaeva, Zhamal, 2024. "Technological perspectives of Metaverse for financial service providers," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    23. Michels, Marius & Bonke, Vanessa & Wever, Hendrik & Musshoff, Oliver, 2024. "Understanding farmers' intention to buy alternative fuel tractors in German agriculture applying the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    24. Daniela Gabor & Sally Brooks, 2017. "The digital revolution in financial inclusion: international development in the fintech era," New Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(4), pages 423-436, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mohammad (Behdad) Jamshidi & Arash Dehghaniyan Serej & Alireza Jamshidi & Omid Moztarzadeh, 2023. "The Meta-Metaverse: Ideation and Future Directions," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-31, July.
    2. repec:rza:wpaper:893 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Huang, Yuhong & Gao, Yajia, 2024. "The impact of financial technology on employment: Protection or disruption?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 96(PA).
    4. Carè, Rosella & Boitan, Iustina Alina & Stoian, Andreea Maria & Fatima, Rabia, 2025. "Exploring the landscape of financial inclusion through the lens of financial technologies: A review," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    5. Park, Eunil, 2024. "Examining metaverse game platform adoption: Insights from innovation, behavior, and coolness," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    6. Chakraborty, Debarun & Kumar Kar, Arpan & Patre, Smruti & Gupta, Shivam, 2024. "Enhancing trust in online grocery shopping through generative AI chatbots," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    7. Kodongo, Odongo, 2024. "Financial inclusion effects of engaging with the fintech ecosystem," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 96(PB).
    8. Foguesatto, Cristian Rogério & Righi, Marcelo Brutti & Müller, Fernanda Maria, 2024. "Is there a dark side to financial inclusion? Understanding the relationship between financial inclusion and market risk," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    9. Rajat Kumar Behera & Pradip Kumar Bala & Nripendra P. Rana, 2024. "Reaching new heights: investigating adoption factors shaping the moon landing of metaverse tourism," Information Technology & Tourism, Springer, vol. 26(2), pages 219-253, June.
    10. Jin, Yu & Ma, Yuan-Yuan & Yuan, Li-Bin, 2024. "How does digital finance affect the total factor productivity of listed manufacturing companies?," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 84-94.
    11. Elias G. Carayannis & Klitos Christodoulou & Panayiotis Christodoulou & Savvas A. Chatzichristofis & Zinon Zinonos, 2022. "Known Unknowns in an Era of Technological and Viral Disruptions—Implications for Theory, Policy, and Practice," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 13(1), pages 587-610, March.
    12. Cheng, Qiongwen & Zhao, Xiaoge & Zhong, Shihu & Xing, Yudan, 2024. "Digital financial inclusion, resident consumption, and urban carbon emissions in China: A transaction cost perspective," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 1336-1352.
    13. Kumar, Aman & Shankar, Amit & Nayal, Preeti, 2024. "Metaverse is not my cup of tea! An investigation into how personality traits shape metaverse usage intentions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    14. Kumar, Aman & Shankar, Amit & Agarwal, Reeti & Agarwal, Vaishali & Alzeiby, Ebtesam Abdullah, 2024. "With enterprise metaverse comes great possibilities! Understanding metaverse usage intention from an employee perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    15. Hao, Yunping & Zhang, Bing, 2024. "The impact of digital financial usage on resident’s income inequality in China: An empirical analysis based on CHFS data," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    16. Dao Ha & Phuong Le & Duc Khuong Nguyen, 2025. "Financial inclusion and fintech: a state-of-the-art systematic literature review," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 11(1), pages 1-42, December.
    17. Shang, Rui, 2023. "Divide or dividend: How digital finance impacts educational equality," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 55(PA).
    18. Dominic Chalmers & Niall G. MacKenzie & Sara Carter, 2021. "Artificial Intelligence and Entrepreneurship: Implications for Venture Creation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 45(5), pages 1028-1053, September.
    19. Kumar, Aman & Shankar, Amit, 2024. "Building a sustainable future with enterprise metaverse in a data-driven era: A technology-organization-environment (TOE) perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    20. Tobias Kollmann & Lucas Kleine-Stegemann & Katharina Cruppe & Christina Then-Bergh, 2022. "Eras of Digital Entrepreneurship," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 64(1), pages 15-31, February.
    21. Zeng, Tian & Botella-Carrubi, Dolores, 2023. "Improving societal benefit through transformative consumer research: A descriptive review," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:210:y:2025:i:c:s0040162524006759. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00401625 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.