Technology has been at the forefront of this election cycle from the start. Generative AI has driven concerns about misinformation and eye-rolling propaganda. Even the campaigns themselves embraced new-ish spaces, like the Harris-Walz-themed map in Fortnite.
The metaverse may not be quite ready for the campaign cycle, but perhaps the political system should be ready for it. For all the chaos and trolling in the room on election night, what soon becomes clear is that the vibe in VR reflects the outside world.
First off, the VR election rooms are overwhelmingly male, which will be unsurprising for anyone accustomed to the political manosphere in the US. Most of the people I encounter in both virtual realms seem to favor Trump, and that power imbalance only grows throughout the night as the red wave deepens and the former president’s reelection seems more and more likely.
My colleague Kelly talks with a person dressed in a black Iron Man-esque suit of armor who says they are from Michigan. Ersatz Iron Man calls the state for Trump much earlier than it was officially reported. They say they know lots of people who support Trump, and for whom Elon Musk’s endorsement and posts on X were an important factor to helping Trump win more broadly.
Lots of moments like this happen over the night. At first, the real-world results clash with the absurdity in the Horizon World rooms. People hiding within their brightly colored avatars, shouting over the top of each other, saying the most offensive things possibly to provoke a reaction. But then the room starts to split, a larger group on the Trump side—loud and excited. Then a smaller group on the Harris side, more somber and reflective. Some people congregate outside, talking in low voices and crunching the numbers about how many electoral votes are left.
“We’ll never have a girl president,” I hear a child shout during my visit to MetDonalds, Horizon Worlds’ mockup of the fast-food chain with golden arches. “We’ve got to keep our American traditions!”
“Let’s kill all the old white people in America that are around,” says somebody wearing an avatar that looks like a slinky dog from Toy Story. Then, to somebody else, “I guess if Trump wins you don’t have to worry about your school getting shot up as much I guess.”
Later I watch somebody voraciously defend Trump’s policies while a different person in a knight avatar comes around behind him and starts miming rubbing his nipples while moaning loudly over the top of him. By the end of the night, it starts to feel like the virtual world is just as weird as the real one.
Additional reporting by WIRED contributor Kelly Bourdet.
