Personality, loneliness and the metaverse: exploring their interaction for higher education in marketing

Purpose Given the scarce research on the intention to use the metaverse by higher education students in the marketing field and since the introduction of the metaverse brings a new dimension to consumer interaction, the purpose of this study aims to understand what psychological and contextual factors such as the feeling of loneliness or perceived social risk of young people affect the incorporation of immersive reality tools in the teaching-learning process. Design/methodology/approach Currently, the use of the metaverse in university education has captured the interest of teachers and researchers. The adoption of immersive virtual platforms where students experience different forms of interaction through customized avatars appears as a promising opportunity in the field of marketing, while concerns arise about the social and psychological risks that may affect its main adopters, youth. The proposed relationships were evaluated using PLS-SEM (symmetric) and QCA (asymmetric) approaches. Findings The results revealed that the feeling of loneliness, as well as personality traits of openness to experience and conscientiousness, in relation to hedonic motivations, are significant for the intention to use the metaverse. Research limitations/implications This research provides useful implications from an educational perspective, as well as applications in the commercial management of immersive platforms, taking into account their social impact, allowing for effective exploration and development of the metaverse’s potential in educational environments. Originality/value This research analyzes the relationship between the experience of feelings of loneliness and perceived social risk in the educational environment, along with the psychological and motivational factors affecting the intention to use the metaverse by higher education students which have not been investigated in the scientific literature so far.