Paige Dansinger on Community-Led World-Building: Key Insights into XR, Social Impact, and the Future of Immersive Storytelling
- Nico Fara
- Nov 4
- 5 min read
Introduction This week on the Immergence Show, we were thrilled to host Paige Dansinger, an award-winning community leader, futurist in AI & Immersive Sustainability, and the Founding Director of the Better World Museum and Horizon Art Museum. She is a recognized voice in building immersive spaces that empower people at the intersection of XR, cultural storytelling, education, and sustainability.
Paige shared profound insights into her core thesis: to create real social impact in the metaverse, you must begin with community-led world-building. This article distills the key educational takeaways and pivotal insights from our discussion.
While we explore the core concepts here, to truly grasp the depth of Paige's vision—including the powerful, personal story behind her "Purple Flower Survivors" empathy experience, her first-ever community project—the full video interview is a must-watch.
The "Minimum Viable Story": From a Single Flower to a Global Movement
How do you build a global movement? Paige's work suggests you don't start with a complex product; you start with a "minimum viable story." She shared the origin of her "VR Garden" project, which began after the 2016 election. Feeling disconnected, she simply drew a "little vulnerable flower" and posted it online, inviting anyone to remix it. First, one person in Ireland did, then another in California. This simple, open-ended invitation blossomed into a garden remixed by 200 people, which then became a traveling pop-up museum and led to her Facebook Community Leadership Fellowship. This project's success wasn't in its technical complexity, but in its emotional accessibility. It provided a simple, creative seed that allowed a community to grow around it, proving that a shared story is often more powerful than a finished product.
Key Insight: "When you enter this trigger of life, what can you create? What story can you share? There's no end to your possibilities."
Building "Brave Spaces," Not "Safe Spaces"
In the tech world, there is a constant focus on creating "safe spaces." Paige compellingly challenges this, championing a concept she learned from Sultan Sharif at an MIT Reality Hack: the importance of building "brave spaces." She explained that the world isn't inherently safe, so building a space that merely claims to be safe is insufficient. The true goal is to create an environment where people feel empowered to be brave—to share their truth, to be vulnerable, and to create authentically. It is in this act of shared bravery, she argues, that true safety and a resilient community are forged. This philosophical shift is foundational to all her work.
Key Insight: "You don't need to create a safe space. Create your truth and give me the opportunity to feel brave there."
The Power of the Community-Led Template
How do you practically build a "brave space"? For Paige, the answer is to relinquish control and trust the community. She shared the incredible origin story of the Better World Museum in Rec Room. Instead of designing it herself, she "handed the maker pens" to three "disruptive" teenagers (ages 11, 13, and 15) who had joined her event. She trusted them completely, and three days later, they delivered a perfect, fully-built museum.
This "white wall template" became her new model. The museum was then given to artists-in-residence not to simply exhibit in, but with the explicit instruction to "dismantle the museum and make a better world." This act of trusting the community with both the tools and the mission is the essence of community-led world-building. It turns users into owners and creators, fostering a deep, lasting impact far beyond what a single director could ever achieve.
Key Insight: "When people build worlds, we build worlds for a better world in and out of that virtual space."
Amplifying Voices: From Simple Scripts to AI-Powered Coral
Amplification is a core technical pillar of Paige's work. In the early days of Horizon Worlds, this was as simple as teaching a basic block script: "When player enters trigger, play sound." This "community amplified voice script" was a seed, a simple tool that taught new creators—especially women and LGBTQ+ individuals—how to embed their own stories and voices into the virtual world.
Today, that simple script has evolved. In her "Coral Collective" project, which addresses ocean conservation (SDG 14), she is now using AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) to literally give a "voice to coral." This project, which includes games and experiences, aims to solve the "out of sight, out of mind" problem by creating an empathetic, interactive connection to our planet's least-funded ecosystem. From a simple script to an AI-powered avatar, the goal remains the same: to empower, amplify, and connect.
Key Insight: "If you can add your story into what you're building, then bingo. We have an opportunity to learn more, to become better listeners, to open our hearts more and empathize."
Looking Ahead: Paige's Vision for an Interconnected Future
Paige's vision extends far beyond VR headsets. She sees a future where mixed reality, AI, and IoT converge to create a "better world" in our physical spaces. She spoke excitedly about urban spaces becoming "edible corridors" and finding new ways to interact with our world—and each other—with more care, presence, and empathy.
For Paige's full, unfiltered predictions on where mixed reality is heading—including a fascinating (and fun) example involving a "yoga stuffed animal"—the complete Immergence Show episode is unmissable.
Unlock the Full Strategic Discussion
This article provides a strategic overview, but the magic is in the details! To hear Paige share the full, inspiring story of the three teenagers who built her first virtual museum, her step-by-step advice for using "minimum viable stories," and her plan to send art to the moon, and to truly absorb their expertise:
About Your Host & The Immergence Show
Nico Fara is a Go-To-Market Strategist, Product Marketing Consultant, and passionate Community Builder specializing in the vibrant intersection of AI, Gaming, XR, and Consumer Tech. With a talent for translating visionary tech into compelling product strategies and fostering thriving, engaged communities, Nico empowers brands to connect authentically with their audiences and drive impactful growth. Explore Nico's insights further by visiting www.nicofara.com or www.productmarketpro.com
Get your weekly dose of community and cutting-edge insights on The Immergence Show, a thriving live community event where innovation in AI, XR, Web3, Gaming, and Retail-Tech meets a deeply engaged global community. We host interactive discussions with industry pioneers, ensuring our audience of creative technologists, entrepreneurs, and brand executives leaves with fresh perspectives and actionable knowledge. Join the live experience every Tuesday at 12 PM EST on LinkedIn, catch up on all past episodes via our YouTube Channel and find more resources on www.theimmergence.com.
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