Content Shaping in VR

To the left is a mythical representation of the question in Egyptian lore that all who die are asked before they can pass through the gates to the next realm. The question goes something like, "What is the heaviness of your heart?"  As the myth goes, your heart is then measured and must weigh less than a feather. If it weighs more than a feather, you are returned to the mortal existence to try again. The following document is something that has weighed heavy on my heart as a community designer and facilitator for several months now and I am relieved to finally release it and let go of my fears on how it will be received. 

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I have reviewed and edited this with many collaborators and community leaders working to hold a community boundary as lovingly and honestly as possible. It is being implemented first in my homebase VR Social application, Facebook Horizon (beta), with a community-led group I support called Horizon Creator Community (HCC). It is a living document, and so will be updated and edited from time to time as needed. HCC's mission is center diverse voices and foster collaborative learning.

Some main highlights of the policy are listed below: 

• Diversity neutrality (maintaining the status quo) creates a diluted social ecosystem that can rapidly turn toxic and psychologically harmful especially in the stimulating immersive spaces that virtual reality provides.
• Part of centering diverse voices is de-centering voices of majority power that maintain the paradigm of accepting male and whiteness as the only acceptable prevalent demographic in spaces.
• (W)e are very proud of how well most of our white male-passing and/or male identifying HCC members share space while fostering collaborative learning and centering diverse voices.
• We believe there is power in starting and continuing to engage in conversations about privilege and modeling intentional culture that amplifies diverse voices.
• (W)e as leaders of HCC will begin to screen and if need be, reject content that does not align with HCC’s mission and/or instead amplifies/ glorifies paradigms of majority intersectional identity.
• Thank you for your continued involvement and growth as we journey towards becoming a better diverse and inclusive community together.

Feedback is always welcome!
-Ruth