In collaboration with an international partner at Birmingham City University, Department of Marketing and Leisure Economies in the UK, we are exploring the dynamics of active citizenship, inclusion, and representation in digital marketplaces. Globally, one in five people lives with a disability. Yet, despite possessing a purchasing power of £249 million in the UK alone, people with disabilities remain one of the largest marginalized groups worldwide.
Previous studies have demonstrated that inadequate accommodation in physical marketplaces profoundly impacts the wellbeing of disabled individuals, influencing aspects such as their sense of identity and experiences of self-stigmatization. But what happens to active citizenship, inclusion, and representation when marketplaces transition to digital environments?
Through an interdisciplinary approach that integrates perspectives from disability inclusion/exclusion, consumer welfare, digital consumption, retail, event management, and transformative marketing, we aim to investigate the inclusion of disabled people in metaverse marketplaces. Specifically, we seek to understand how this inclusion—or lack thereof—affects their wellbeing and behaviors within these digital spaces.
