The Bifold Triadic Relationships Framework: A Theoretical Primer for Advertising Research in the Metaverse

The concept of the metaverse was first coined in the science fiction novel Snow Crash published 30 years ago, serving as the pregenesis concept of the next groundbreaking development in communication and technology fields for several decades. Today, the concept of the metaverse is complicated and often discussed as a multidimensional notion, generally referring to multiple interconnected virtual worlds where large numbers of users can simultaneously interact in embodied form. In this article, we propose the bifold triadic relationships model to help advertising scholars understand how advertising may work in the metaverse and to guide future research endeavors. Although the metaverse as a concept has yet to fully form, we hope that this primer presents a clearer layout of how advertising can be studied at the unit level of triadic relationships among consumer, media, and engagement behaviors in the metaverse space. Using what we know thus far about immersive virtual environments and how they relate to advertising practice and scholarship, the present article serves as an impetus for new directions in advertising theory and research in the metaverse in the years to come.