Challenges of Moderating Social Virtual Reality

Abstract

Recent years have seen a rise in social virtual reality (VR) platforms that allow people to interact in real-time through voice and gestures. The ephemeral nature of communication on these platforms can enable new forms of harmful behavior and new challenges for moderators. We performed virtual field research on three VR environments (AltspaceVR, Horizon Worlds, Rec Room). Based on observing 100 scheduled events, our analysis uncovered 13 distinct types of potentially harmful behaviors enabled by real-time voice, embodied interactions, and platform affordances. We witnessed potential harm at 45% of our observed events; only 24% of these incidents were addressed by moderators. To understand moderation practices, we conducted interviews with 11 moderators to investigate how they assess real-time interactions and how they operate within the current state of moderation tools. Our work sheds light on how moderation tools and practices must evolve to meet the new challenges of social VR.