Navigating Brand Conscientiousness in the Metaverse : A Qualitative Study to Analyse the Ethical Dimensions for Virtual Stakeholders

Abstract

This study aims to investigate and define the boundaries of brand conscientiousness in the Metaverse by examining how brands sustain ethical engagement in decentralised virtual environments through the lenses of Stakeholder Theory and Signalling Theory. Drawing on 46 interviews conducted across multiple countries, we conduct a thematic analysis that identifies four recursive engagement phases (Equity and Access Justice, Trust Architecture and Assurance, Ethical Self-Alignment, and Responsible Immersion) that together form the Ethical Engagement Cycle, explaining how users iteratively evaluate the ethical legitimacy of brand behaviour in immersive environments. By conceptualising ethical engagement as a cyclical evaluative process structured around these four phases, this study expands the theoretical discourse on conscientiousness in digital ecosystems, highlighting emerging stakeholders and decentralised governance dynamics. For policymakers, it addresses the importance of regulating digital rights and ethical practices, emphasising that brands’ conscientiousness practices must align with consumer expectations in virtual environments.