Phygital Blackfishing: new tools, new opportunities

The metaverse is a strikingly impactful space for crafting phygital experiences.It is also a space where racialized individuals hope for more equitable experiences.Two facets of the platform, however, may undermine this hope -it allows for racial masking and racial co-opting as non-Black individuals alter the presentation of their identity to appear more Black -what has been termed 'Blackfishing'.Employing both interviews and participant observation, our ethnographic study inquires how Black individuals, particularly Black metaverse world creators, experience and respond to phygital Blackfishing within immersive web 3.0 spaces.Our findings reveal that they use technology to create safe spaces and experiences to combat Blackfishing.By addressing the relationship between racism and immersive experiences, we contribute to existing research surrounding racialized experiences in phygital spaces.We conclude by identifying opportunities for marketers to manage phygital experiences with respect to racial representation and propose opportunities for future research.