"Eye Strain and Nausea" The Road to Working in the Metaverse Is Still Long and Tough [Jjinbit]

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of the global social networking service (SNS) Facebook, who changed the company name to Meta Platforms to fully commit to the metaverse, dreams of living daily life together with the metaverse. He envisions a world where work can be done in the metaverse, not just for fun. Can you imagine logging into the metaverse world from home, putting on a headset, and starting work instead of going to the office?

On the 21st (local time), the U.S. economic media Business Insider reported on a study where participants worked in the metaverse for a week. The study, titled "Quantifying the Effects of VR Work," was conducted by researchers from the University of Coburg in Germany, the University of Cambridge in the UK, the University of Primorska in Slovenia, and Microsoft (MS). A total of 18 university staff members worked in the metaverse for 8 hours a day, including a 45-minute lunch break, five days a week.

According to the results, most employees complained of fatigue, anxiety, and discomfort. First, 2 out of the 18 participants experienced motion sickness while wearing the headset and dropped out of the experiment within a few hours. The remaining participants completed the week-long experiment but reported a 42% increase in dissatisfaction and a 48% increase in eye fatigue compared to their actual work environment. Additionally, about 20% felt anxious and sensed that their well-being was deteriorating while working.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta

Most notably, responses indicated that work using the metaverse currently results in lower productivity. For example, it was difficult to take actual notes while wearing a VR headset. The challenge lies in enabling real-world work through a virtual space channel, but people's current work methods are not yet well-suited to being applied directly in virtual spaces.

For these reasons, the VR market is still growing slowly. According to market research firm IDC, 11.2 million headsets were sold last year, which is relatively low compared to smartphones or PCs. Among these, Meta's Quest 2, sold at $299 (about 387,000 KRW), accounted for 78% of total headset sales last year, making it the most notable device.

On the same day, CEO Zuckerberg unveiled a prototype headset. According to CNBC, Zuckerberg stated that they are developing next-generation virtual reality displays to provide a realistic experience where users feel like they are in the same room with others in virtual space. He said, "There is still a big difference in screen clarity compared to what the eye sees in reality," but added, "It won't take long to achieve perfect clarity."

The researchers who conducted the metaverse work study expect that as technology advances and users become more accustomed to it, some of the discomforts will disappear. In particular, eye fatigue caused by metaverse headsets was found to decrease after a week. The researchers said, "We hope this study will serve as a foundation for follow-up research and provide an opportunity to improve issues arising in VR work environments."

Editor's Note[Jjinbit] is short for 'Jeong Hyunjin's Business Trend' and 'Real Business Trend,' a segment that showcases trends in corporate management such as organizational culture and HR systems. Based on analyses from foreign media and major overseas institutions that have not received much attention so far, we will deliver fresh and differentiated information and perspectives.