Misogyny in the Metaverse and why Big-O is portrayed as a male
I Want to Create an Edufiction Story That Tackles This…
The metaverse was promised as a playground for innovation, creativity, and connection — but for many women and girls, it’s becoming something far more dangerous. Reports of virtual sexual harassment, grooming, and assault are not just headlines. They are echoes of a deeper systemic failure, one rooted in real-world patriarchy and now digitally amplified.
This issue struck a nerve with me as both an edufiction writer and the creator of Team Savv-i, a series where our young, diverse heroes confront real-world challenges through immersive adventures in the metaverse. What if we could use storytelling to help young people further reflect on this huge issue?
The Problem Is Real – And Fiction Can Be a Powerful Response
As author and activist Laura Bates reveals in her new book, The New Age of Sexism, the metaverse isn't evolving into the safe, inclusive utopia that tech visionaries promised. Instead, it's echoing the same misogyny women face offline — but now with 3D positional audio, haptic suits, and avatars, making the abuse feel more real than ever. Meta’s response? “Good feedback,” they said. Blame the victim. Pass the burden of safety onto the user.
This dystopian reality demands not just critique — but creative resistance. And that’s exactly where edufiction comes in.
Team Savv-i vs. Big-O: A New Mission in the Metaverse
In this story, I imagine Team Savv-i dive into the virtual city of Neon Verge, a gleaming metaworld where Big-O—an overbearing AI antagonist sprouted from patriarchal social hierarchies—is spreading systemic bias and enabling digital abuse through invisible algorithms and unchecked avatars.
Our young heroes won’t just "block and report" — they’ll face this insideous and all-pervasive issue head-on. They'll uncover how bias can be coded, how meta users unacceptable behaviour is slipping through safety protocols. They know meta can be dangerous, but now they encounter danger enables by the system, but created by the users. They discover that moderation tools can be designed for justice instead of passivity, and how we can build inclusive virtual spaces by design, not as an afterthought.
Just like in our world, their adventure is one of resistance, redesign, and reclamation.
Fiction Isn’t an Escape — It’s a Blueprint
Through edufiction, young readers don’t just see the dangers — they understand them, feel them, and explore imaginative yet possible solutions.
Team Savv-i empowers kids to believe that:
Bias is not inevitable and sshould be corrected.
Virtual spaces can be made safe for everyone.
They have the right — and the power — to shape their digital world.
They want everyone to stop treating tech as neutral and start treating it as what it is: a reflection of who codes it, who governs it, and whose voices are prioritised. The metaverse isn’t just being built — it’s being scripted.
Your Voice Matters Too
If you’re a parent, teacher, librarian, or someone who believes in empowering the next generation, join me in using stories to make change. Let’s help our kids read between the codes and become active agents in both fiction and life.
Team Savv-i is coming to challenge Big-O — not just with tech, but with truth.
Given that this story has not been written, I would love to hear your ideas. Who knows, they may even end up in the book.
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