What’s the meta with reality? New virtual universe detrimental to society, drains people of humility Ava Hunt
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huntava000@hsestudents.org
ith CEO Mark Zuckerburg’s recent announcement of Facebook’s rebrand, the metaverse has transformed from a science-fiction fantasy to a real-life technological capability. The metaverse, a term coined by Neal Stephenson in his novel “Snow Crash,” encompasses a virtual universe where physical and virtual reality are seamlessly blended. In the metaverse, a user can create a digital version of themselves and experience a world as engaging as the physical one. The user has the ability to hang out with friends, buy property and go to work, all from the comfort of their virtual reality headset. The soon-to-beaccessible ingenuine reality has the potential to be a daily part of individuals’ lives, detaching people even further from each other. Meta Platforms, Inc. (“Meta”) recently rebranded itself by changing its name from Facebook to reflect what it foresees as the technological wave of the future. Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg says that he sees metaverse as “the next frontier in technology – the place where people will live, work and play.” He believes it will be available for use in the next five to ten years. Since its announcement, the metaverse has been getting lots of attention despite the fact that it’s still under construction. Part of the reason it is receiving so much buzz is because companies have already started competing for recognition and space in the metaverse. The companies believe that this new universe is a colossal money-making opportunity for them and need
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to claim their territory first. As if the overwhelming sphere of manipulating advertising people face was not enough in the real world, the metaverse, or at least Zuckerberg’s version, will now suffocate individuals with monopolizing brands and make them even more vulnerable to consumer manipulation. The launch of Zuckerberg’s metaverse plans to increase the power and control given technological giants, which is the last thing society needs. Apple Inc. is rumored to launch a mixed-reality headset in 2022, and Alphabet Inc. has already attempted its own called Google Glass. Microsoft has unveiled new features in businessoriented software, which allows businesses to create virtual spaces where workers can meet. With the emerging virtual universe industry, these megatech companies are ensuring, using the resources they already have, that they own a share-hold in the metaverse’s projected financial success. The money earned from the metaverse will contribute to these companies’ monopolies, allowing them to negatively shape the reality of the metaverse. The more immersive technology becomes, the more information individuals are required to share. Now, the metaverse’s goal is to allow for a greater overlap between the physical and digital elements in peoples’ lives. In order for that goal to be met, it demands individuals to disclose more details about themselves. The technology also requires that users are subject to surveillance and digital tracking, and usage is going to be frequent since
Zuckerberg plans on it being the “place where people will live.” The metaverse will be a privacy nightmare just waiting to be breached. The cyberattacks that will occur in the metaverse have the potential to be detrimental, considering the sheer amount of data that the metaverse stores. The metaverse could become the new battlefront for modern cyberwarfare. The timing of Zuckerberg’s rebrand was almost too perfect to be a mere coincidence. The world is phasing out of unprecedented times during which there was very limited physical contact. Now, Zuckerberg has created a place where individuals can have access to everything they need and can interact with people without ever having to come into physical proximity to anyone again. It seems as though he is preying upon individuals’ past year of experiences and fears from COVID-19 to make society’s transition into the metaverse more widely accepted. He launched it when society is more heavily dependent on technology than ever and is providing another dangerous route for individuals to escape reality. Society needs to realize that the metaverse will only continue to make people feel emotionally numb, distant and less human than they already do, given our current climate. The world needs society and public policy to favor reality, not the pockets of technology companies. Policymakers need to favor guardrails against these technologies to prevent us from becoming another episode of “Black Mirror.”
1. A picture of a multicolored tunnel. Photo courtesy of Google stock images. 2. A cut out of the new Meta logo. Photo courtesy of Meta Inc. 3. Mark Zuckerberg’s digital avatar in the metaverse. Photo courtesy of Meta Inc.
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