This viewpoint article aims to lay out the foundations for IS research on the strategic implications as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) opportunities and challenges of the metaverse – a sociotechnical system providing users with an immersive, synchronous 3D experience of (virtual) reality through interoperable platforms and sensor devices. We first examine the metaverse’s technologies and its underlying business models, which hold immense strategic implications for organizations and industries, and might require rethinking the future of work. As with most emerging technologies able to generate, collect, and process user data, the metaverse comes at a price; leveraging the metaverse strategically will require ethical and DEI considerations. After examining all these aspects of the metaverse, we reflect on ways IS scholarship engaged in strategizing can advance theoretical and practical knowledge by generating novel research questions and outlining a research agenda. Our contribution is twofold: first, we analyze the metaverse using a sociotechnical lens, thereby setting the ground for future studies of the phenomenon. Second, we identify specific strategic implications as well as DEI opportunities and challenges associated with the metaverse, and discuss how scholarship versed in IS strategizing can contribute to addressing them, both theoretically and empirically.

这篇观点文章旨在为 IS 研究元宇宙的战略影响以及多样性、公平性和包容性 (DEI) 机遇和挑战奠定基础——一个社会技术系统，为用户提供身临其境的、同步的 3D 体验（虚拟) 通过可互操作的平台和传感器设备实现现实。我们首先研究元宇宙的技术及其底层商业模式，它们对组织和行业具有巨大的战略意义，可能需要重新思考工作的未来。与大多数能够生成、收集和处理用户数据的新兴技术一样，元宇宙是有代价的；战略性地利用元宇宙将需要道德和 DEI 方面的考虑。在检查了元宇宙的所有这些方面之后，我们反思参与战略制定的 IS 奖学金如何通过产生新的研究问题和概述研究议程来推进理论和实践知识。我们的贡献是双重的：首先，我们使用社会技术视角分析了虚拟世界，从而为未来对该现象的研究奠定了基础。其次，我们确定了具体的战略意义以及与元宇宙相关的 DEI 机遇和挑战，并讨论了精通 IS 战略的奖学金如何在理论上和实证上有助于解决这些问题。从而为以后对该现象的研究奠定基础。其次，我们确定了具体的战略意义以及与元宇宙相关的 DEI 机遇和挑战，并讨论了精通 IS 战略的奖学金如何在理论上和实证上有助于解决这些问题。从而为以后对该现象的研究奠定基础。其次，我们确定了具体的战略意义以及与元宇宙相关的 DEI 机遇和挑战，并讨论了精通 IS 战略的奖学金如何在理论上和实证上有助于解决这些问题。