Publication 16 December 2025

The democratic and societal challenges of the Metaverse

Jean-François Lucas, General Manager of Renaissance Numérique, recently contributed, alongside Henri Isaac, member of the think tank's Executive Committee, and Jessica Galissaire, to two publications on the metaverse, exploring the democratic and societal challenges posed by these immersive environments from different angles.

Jean-François Lucas, contributed to an article co-authored with researchers from various disciplines, recently published in Frontiers in Virtual Reality : « A Multidisciplinary Approach to Understanding the Technology, Opportunities, Challenges, and Implications for Society of the Metaverse ». The metaverse is closely linked to issues in computer science, psychology, design, law, education and sociology. This article, led by Mel Slater, aims to provide a comprehensive overview of its main issues and challenges. This introduction addresses the technical foundations, implications for society (including health, education, work, and quality of life), governance of these issues, and the democratic challenges they pose.

The second publication is a book chapter co-authored by Jean-François Lucas, Jessica Galissaire and Henri Isaac, a member of the Digital Renaissance Bureau, entitled « Navigating Democratic Challenges in the Age of Metaverses ». This chapter appears in a larger volume edited by Matthias Quent : « Democratic Culture in the Metaverse : Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Potentials and Perils ».

This work builds on Renaissance Numérique’s previous work on the metaverse, notably the report « Governing the Metaverse and tomorrow’s internet », published in 2023, which explains that metaverses, in the plural, already exist and are multiplying. Every day, billions of interactions take place in immersive worlds, particularly in video games and virtual reality spaces. The metaverse offers a glimpse into the internet of tomorrow ; it raises a large number of social, economic, environmental, cognitive, ethical and legal questions that are currently being asked about digital uses.

Objectives and methodology

  1. Shed light on the debates surrounding the stakes and issues related to the Metaverse, by offering an interpretation through the lenses of the humanities and social sciences, the history of science and technology, and economics and politics. This is done from the viewpoints of various stakeholders : academic researchers, institutional and economic players, in particular.
  2. Draw up recommendations, and useful questions to ask, aimed at decision-makers, especially politicians, regulators, and even researchers.
  3. Continue to foster dialogue with all the experts and civil society around the future of our immersive digital interactions.

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