Pixels and Policy

Analyzing the Ethical Pitfalls of All-Virtual Workplaces

Digital workplaces bring with them the promise of an ever-expanding pool of potentially employable workers. An employee free to move about the country and maximize their purchasing power thanks to an entirely-virtual workplace need not fear expensive metropolitan areas or the crime, crowding and chaos big cities often develop.

I am an advocate of telecommuting and virtual workplaces, not only because many of the positions I've held in the past have been made available exclusively through telecommuting. The benefits of virtual workplaces over brick-and-mortar establishments seem clear enough upon even cursory inspection: Employers can pull from a much larger pool of potential workers, virtual workplaces create a natural need for collaboration and communication between levels of a company, reductions in commuting time lead not only to fewer traffic jam-related headaches, but also to an overall greener workplace.

Be that as it may, there are also major ethical dilemmas unique to virtual workplaces. The division of employee and employer creates major questions related to true productivity, employee honesty, and the proper division of labor among members of a virtual group. The technological boundaries to virtual work are by and large behind us, and even boutique companies can make use of free-to-use virtual worlds like OpenSim and Second Life for meeting purposes. But the ethical questions remain.

 

How Tough Economic Times are Encouraging Virtual Workplaces

The sputtering global economy could have a silver lining - companies looking to cut travel costs are turning to the virtual world for more business services than ever.

As CNN reports, companies are increasingly turning to telecommuting and virtual conferencing in graphical virtual worlds as a means of shaving costs and remaining competitive in an economy where credit is still tight and government life preservers are harder to come by.

Pixels and Policy takes a look at the exodus to the virtual business landscape.

Is the Metaverse Falling Victim to Large Platform Monopolies?

There's no denying it - despite a worldwide consumer recession and spiking unemployment, virtual worlds are still growing with impressive speed.

A report by the Virtual Goods Summit shows that purchases of virtual clothing, weapons, and accessories will top $1 billion for the first time, and will nearly double to $1.6 billion by 2010.

There's only one thing missing: competition..

Thinking Virtually: Helping Companies Succeed in Marketing to the Metaverse

 

From Audi digitally marketing their new electric car to a slew of virtual reality themed Hollywood blockbusters, focusing on virtual worlds as a potential revenue source is all the rage. But as companies have repeatedly shown by high-publicity failures, marketing in the virtual world is a tricky proposition.

Pixels and Policy looks at how to effectively market products to eager eyes in the Metaverse.

Is Brazil Set to Become a Virtual World Superpower?

China and the United States have shared dominance of the virtual world market for years on the backs of games like Lineage and World of Warcraft, but a new entrant may be on the horizon.  

According to a study by Deloitte, rapidly industrializing Brazil is prepared to sate its citizens’ craving for virtual worlds by expanding its commercial Metaverse presence. Wired Brazilians are prepared to build virtual worlds that appeal to the Latin American community.

Who’s ready for some creative destruction?