The virtual world gets physical: perspectives on personalization

MusicFX and GroupCast illustrate some benefits possible from extending the personalization of electronic content in the virtual world to applications in the physical world. Utilizing individual preferences in the physical world, particularly in public spaces, infringes on people's privacy more than it does in the virtual world, where it is easier to maintain different addresses and aliases that can shield or mask personal details from online interactions. However, the use of these preferences in a group context, where some degree of plausible deniability exists, may diminish people's concerns. If sufficient benefits are provided - think of a world without elevator music - people might even embrace the technologies that will make adaptive environments possible