Why immersive experiences fall short: Exploring public resistance to metaverse adoption

The metaverse promises to redefine various aspects of people's lives, ushering in a new era of interconnected digital experiences. Despite its many forecasted benefits, recent trends indicate a decline in public interest. However, little research has explored the underlying reasons for this resistance. Grounded in innovation resistance theory, this study proposes a model that integrates psychological factors—such as metaverse intangibility, fear of anonymity misconduct, fear of metaverse addiction, fear of identity theft, and privacy concerns—with functional factors, including non-interoperability, fear of cybersickness, legal concerns, and perceived cost. Data was collected from 637 US users and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The findings confirm all hypothesized relationships, with fear of cybersickness, metaverse addiction, intangibility, and identity theft emerging as the most influential barriers. Additionally, fsQCA supports the PLS-SEM results, identifying two distinct configurations that lead to high metaverse resistance. This study emphasizes the need for system designers and developers to proactively address these barriers to ensure the sustainable development and widespread adoption of the metaverse.