Why virtual friendship is no genuine friendship

Based on a modern reading of Aristotle??s theory of friendship, we argue that virtual friendship does not qualify as genuine friendship. By ??virtual friendship?? we mean the type of friendship that exists on the internet, and seldom or never is combined with real life interaction. A ??traditional friendship?? is, in contrast, the type of friendship that involves substantial real life interaction, and we claim that only this type can merit the label ??genuine friendship?? and thus qualify as morally valuable. The upshot of our discussion is that virtual friendship is what Aristotle might have described as a lower and less valuable form of social exchange.     

The ethics of representation and action in virtual reality

This essay addresses ethical aspects of the design and use of virtual reality (VR) systems, focusing on the behavioral options made available in such systems and the manner in which reality is represented or simulated in them. An assessment is made of the morality of immoral behavior in virtual reality, and of the virtual modeling of such behavior. Thereafter, the ethical aspects of misrepresentation and biased representation in VR applications are discussed.     

Sin in cyber-eden: understanding the metaphysics and morals of virtual worlds

This article uses a notorious incident within the computer program EVE Online to exemplify and facilitate discussion of the metaphysics of virtual worlds and the morality of user behavior. The first section examines various frameworks used to understand virtual worlds, and emphasizes those which recognize virtual worlds as legal contracts, as representational worlds, and as media for communication. The second section draws on these frameworks to analyze issues of virtual theft and virtual betrayal arising in the EVE incident. The article concludes by arguing that, in the absence of countervailing contractual obligations, users of virtual worlds have the same de facto duties to each other as they do in mediated and real environments. This paper grew out of my senior thesis in philosophy at Pomona College, entitled Game Theory: The Metaphysics and Morals of Massively Multiplayer Environments. I am indebted to Peter Kung and Paul Hurley for their critical insights and constant encouragement, as well as the Fulbright program, which afforded me the time and resources to develop this project.     

Purchasing behavior in social virtual worlds: An examination of Habbo Hotel

Spending real money on virtual goods and services has become a popular form of online consumer behavior, particularly among teenagers. This study builds on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to examine the role of motivation, social influence, measured with perceived network size as well as user interface and facilitating conditions in predicting the intention to engage in purchasing in social virtual worlds. The research model is tested with data from 1045 users of Habbo Hotel, world's most popular virtual world for teenagers. The results underscore the role of perceived network size and motivational factors in explaining in-world purchase decisions. The study shows that virtual purchasing behavior is substantially influenced by the factors driving usage behavior. Hence, virtual purchasing can be understood as a means to enhance the user experience. For virtual world operators, reinforcing the sense of presence of user's social network offers a means to promote virtual purchasing.     

Real moral problems in the use of virtual reality

In this paper, we argue that, under a specific set of circumstances, designing and employing certain kinds of virtual reality (VR) experiences can be unethical. After a general discussion of simulations and their ethical context, we begin our argument by distinguishing between the experiences generated by different media (text, film, computer game simulation, and VR simulation), and argue that VR experiences offer an unprecedented degree of what we call “perspectival fidelity” that prior modes of simulation lack. Additionally, we argue that when VR experiences couple this perspectival fidelity with what we call “context realism,” VR experiences have the ability to produce “virtually real experiences.” We claim that virtually real experiences generate ethical issues for VR technologies that are unique to the medium. Because subjects of these experiences treat them as if they were real, a higher degree of ethical scrutiny should be applied to any VR scenario with the potential to generate virtually real experiences. To mitigate this unique moral hazard, we propose and defend what we call “The Equivalence Principle.” This principle states that “if it would be wrong to allow subjects to have a certain experience in reality, then it would be wrong to allow subjects to have that experience in a virtually real setting.” We argue that such a principle, although limited in scope, should be part of the risk analysis conducted by any Institutional Review Boards, psychologists, empirically oriented philosophers, or game designers who are using VR technology in their work.     

虚拟现实技术在物流仓库系统的研究与应用

针对虚拟现实技术的发展和当前仓库物流管理系统的现状,提出仓库物流系统的三维可视化。采用“虚拟现实＋数据库＋管理系统”的技术方案,设计具有人机交互功能的仓库物流管理系统。该系统在传统的信息管理系统基础上,提升至所见即所得的“傻瓜”式管理。使之具有界面友好逼真,操作便捷简易,过程再现,管理高效等传统信息管理系统无法比拟的优势。     

基于虚拟现实技术的数字化工厂能源管理

结合工厂能源管理需求,提出基于虚拟现实技术的数字化工厂能源管理系统的总体设计。系统由工厂虚拟场景和能源信息管理两大模块组成。该系统结合机电设备和能源信息数据建立能源管理可视化三维场景,实现了厂区及车间虚拟漫游,实时导航和交互控制的功能。同时结合数据库技术和工业监测监控技术达到了在虚拟场景中基础数据与实时数据的查询。     

A further analysis of the ethics of representation in virtual reality: Multi-user environments

This is a follow-up article toPhilip Brey's ``The ethics of representation andaction in Virtual Reality' (published in thisjournal in January 1999). Brey's call for moreanalysis of ethical issues of virtual reality(VR) is continued by further analyzing issuesin a specialized domain of VR – namelymulti-user environments. Several elements ofBrey's article are critiqued in order to givemore context and a framework for discussion.Issues surrounding representations ofcharacters in multi-user virtual realities aresurveyed in order to focus attention on theimportance of additional discussion andanalysis of specialized aspects of VR.     

A hedonic motivation model in virtual reality tourism: Comparing visitors and non-visitors

Virtual reality (VR) tourism provides consumers with the opportunity to experience a destination in VR and can play a significant role in encouraging visitation and engaging in particular travel activities and behaviors. Hedonic motivation adoption frameworks with flow state and subjective well-being have been shown to have significant roles in continued use of information technology. However, research on a theoretically integrated hedonic motivation system adoption model (HMSAM) specifically with enjoyment, flow state, subjective well-being, and continued use has not previously been conducted with respect to VR tourism. To address this gap, this study develops and investigates a conceptually comprehensive model on the effect of consumers’ hedonic behaviors on continued use, with the moderating role of visitor or non-visitor at the destination portrayed in VR tourism. Results identified the highly significant effect of consumers’ perceived enjoyment on flow state and of flow state on subjective well-being. Continued use was greatly influenced by flow state and subjective well-being. Importantly for destinations association between usefulness and flow state had a significant moderating effect depending on whether a visitor or non-visitor. The findings offer new knowledge to researchers and industry in the VR tourism fields.     

Digital natives in social virtual worlds: A multi-method study of gratifications and social influences in Habbo Hotel

Millions of teenagers today engage in social virtual worlds (SVWs). However, teenagers, often referred to as digital natives, represent an under-investigated group in the virtual world research and the Information Systems literature. To this end, we draw on developmental psychology and the uses and gratifications approach to examine teenagers’ continuous SVW use with a multi-method approach. We first investigate role of psychological gratifications and social influences in predicting teenagers’ intention to continue using Habbo Hotel. Thereafter, to gain a deeper understanding of their in-world activities, we triangulate our findings with a structured content analysis of the respondents’ open-ended comments. Our quantitative and qualitative findings show that the intentions to continue SVW use are predominantly hedonically motivated. Moreover, we demonstrate that inside the platform users engage in social activities that are often associated with the hedonic experience. Finally, we discuss how these activities both extend and are distinct from digital natives’ offline and online social interactions.     

On crimes and punishments in virtual worlds: bots, the failure of punishment and players as moral entrepreneurs

This paper focuses on the role of punishment as a critical social mechanism for cheating prevention in MMORPGs. The role of punishment is empirically investigated in a case study of the MMORPG Tibia (Cipsoft 1997–2011) () and by focusing on the use of bots to cheat. We describe the failure of punishment in Tibia, which is perceived by players as one of the elements facilitating the proliferation of bots. In this process some players act as a moral enterprising group contributing to the reform of the game rules and in particular to the reform of the Tibia punishment system by the game company. In the conclusion we consider the ethical issues raised by our findings and we propose some general reflections on the role of punishment and social mechanisms for the governance of online worlds more generally.     

Sitting on the Fence: Integrating the two worlds of scientific discovery and invention within the firm

Applying a within-firm perspective to the topic of the division of innovative labor, I explore the organization of scientific discovery at the firm level — specialized or integrated with invention. Using data on inventors and authors related to U.S. publicly-traded science-performing firms for the period 1980–2015, the paper deepens our understanding of the determinants and the tradeoffs associated with the strategic choice of scientific discovery organization. I show that integration is related to a tradeoff between short-term applied R&D and long-term fundamental R&D; while integration is beneficial for invention, it has adverse effects on its scientific output, which decrease invention in the long run. The negative relationship between integration and publication reduces the direct increase in patents due to integration by approximately 90%. To better understand firms’ R&D organizational choice, I present internal and external factors that have implications on the benefits and costs associated with integration: reliance on science, stage of technology, external market for technology, and R&D spillins. Finally, I present consistent implications in terms of market value and show that value creation is related to organizational structure.     

Evaluating the use of interactive virtual reality technology with older adults living in residential aged care

Background and objectivesAs technologies gain traction within the aged care community, better understanding their impact becomes vital. This paper reports on a study that explored the deployment of virtual reality (VR) as a tool to engage older adults in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF). The paper has two aims: 1) to identify the benefits and challenges associated with using VR with residents in aged care settings, and 2) to gather the views of older adult residents in RACF about the potential uses of VR in aged care.Research design and methodsFive RACF residents and five RACF staff members took part in an intensive two-week evaluation of a VR system. Qualitative data was collected from multiple interviews and via researcher notes and video recordings made during the VR sessions.ResultsResults highlight the usability issues that impacted on the aged care residents' ability to use interactive VR technology and the potential negative impact head mounted displays can have on those living with dementia; the role that VR can play in engaging residents who might otherwise self-isolate, and how this can extend to increased engagement with family and friends.Discussion and implicationsWe discuss the design challenges that will need to be met in order to ensure that interactive VR technology can be used by residents living in aged care, and the potential for VR to be used as a tool to improve the quality of life of some older residents, particularly those for whom traditional social activities do not appeal.     

The obstacles against reaching the highest level of Aristotelian friendship online

The ubiquity of online social networks has led to the phenomena of having friends that are known only through online interaction. In many cases, no physical interaction has taken place, but still people consider each other friends. This paper analyzes whether these friendships would satisfy the conditions of Aristotle??s highest level of friendship?Cwhat he calls perfect friendship. Since perfect friendship manifests through a shared love of virtue, physical proximity would seem to be unnecessary at first glance. However, I argue that the nature of online interaction may preclude us from fully recognizing the virtues and vices in others to the degree necessary for perfect friendship to occur. As such, online friendships face significant obstacles against moving beyond utility or pleasure, and this has important repercussions for online interaction more generally.     

The role of location and social strength for friendship prediction in location-based social networks

Recent advances in data mining and machine learning techniques are focused on exploiting location data. These advances, combined with the increased availability of location-acquisition technology, have encouraged social networking services to offer to their users different ways to share their location information. These social networks, called location-based social networks (LBSNs), have attracted millions of users and the attention of the research community. One fundamental task in the LBSN context is the friendship prediction due to its role in different applications such as recommendation systems. In the literature exists a variety of friendship prediction methods for LBSNs, but most of them give more importance to the location information of users and disregard the strength of relationships existing between these users. The contributions of this article are threefold, we: 1) carried out a comprehensive survey of methods for friendship prediction in LBSNs and proposed a taxonomy to organize the existing methods; 2) put forward a proposal of five new methods addressing gaps identified in our survey while striving to find a balance between optimizing computational resources and improving the predictive power; and 3) used a comprehensive evaluation to quantify the prediction abilities of ten current methods and our five proposals and selected the top-5 friendship prediction methods for LBSNs. We thus present a general panorama of friendship prediction task in the LBSN domain with balanced depth so as to facilitate research and real-world application design regarding this important issue.     

浅谈虚拟办公室建立的可行性

虚拟办公室是科学技术发展和社会信息化发展的必然产物。它以行为科学为主导,以系统工程学为理论基础,综合应用了计算机技术、网络技术和现代通信技术来完成各项办公业务,以达到提高工作质量和效率的目的。本文初略探讨了虚拟办公室的重要性及建立所需的硬件系统和软件系统。     

虚拟企业的概念辨析

在综合分析相关文献的基础上指出了“虚拟企业”的三个本质特征,即功能特点专长化、运作方式合作化、联盟形式动态化,并以此为核心来分析虚拟企业与相关概念的区别。