We build upon the theoretical underpinnings of federated networks and adopt a socio-technical imaginaries perspective to envision the future of the Metaverse, informed by an understanding of the past and an assessment of the present. In doing so, we employ a two-step methodological approach that includes interviews with experts on Metaverse development, complemented by a historical analysis of archival data on the development of existing federated networks. Our combined data analysis unearthed four characteristics essential for the development of the Metaverse, which often operate in conjunction. By analyzing the relationship among the identified core characteristics, we further unpack two key insights for the future development of the Metaverse. Our first insight is that the fundamental attribute of federated networks is dynamism. Our second insight is that by acknowledging this dynamism, we can better understand that the development of the Metaverse will not follow a linear progression, as the development of a core characteristic may affect the advancement of others. We discuss the implications of our work for theory as well as practice and delineate an agenda for future research on the topic.

中文翻译：

---

通过后视镜向前看：在炒作之外设想元宇宙的社会技术想象视角


我们建立在联合网络的理论基础之上，并采用社会技术想象的视角来设想元宇宙的未来，以对过去的理解和对现在的评估为依据。在此过程中，我们采用了一种两步方法，其中包括对 Metaverse 开发专家的采访，并辅以对现有联合网络开发的档案数据的历史分析。我们的综合数据分析发现了 Metaverse 发展所必需的四个特征，这些特征通常是协同运作的。通过分析已识别的核心特征之间的关系，我们进一步揭示了对元宇宙未来发展的两个关键见解。我们的第一个见解是，联合网络的基本属性是动态性。我们的第二个见解是，通过承认这种活力，我们可以更好地理解元宇宙的发展不会遵循线性进展，因为一个核心特征的发展可能会影响其他特征的进步。我们讨论了我们的工作对理论和实践的影响，并为该主题的未来研究制定了议程。