Avoiding virtual dystopia: A design theory for emancipatory participatory immersive platforms

Immersive platforms, accessed via VR and AR interfaces, offer a profound digital experience but raise significant privacy and ethical concerns. Current systems collect extensive user data; this enables manipulative advertising and behavior control, fosters self-censorship, and diminishes authentic self-expression – especially among marginalized communities. The unchecked development of immersive platforms threatens to create oppressive environments due to power imbalances and a lack of regulation. This paper addresses the urgent need for emancipatory design guidelines to prevent such outcomes. By integrating critical theory with Participatory Design, we propose Emancipatory Participatory Immersive Platforms. These platforms involve users in their design and dismantle oppressive structures through four emancipatory tools (i.e., agency, dialogue, inclusion, and rationality), substantiated by eight actionable design principles. Our framework aims to empower users, promote inclusivity, and ensure rational engagement – and thereby foster immersive platforms that maintain functional benefits while enhancing freedom and equity.