He-Man and the Masters of the Universe /VS/ Zuckerberg and the Masters of the Metaverse
In this scenario, we the people are the universe. What remains to be seen, is how many of us join the metaverse.
First of all, I am not anti-metaverse. I am anti-facebook-led metaverse.
Zuckerberg wants us all to work, live, play and escape to the metaverse. Escape from what, exactly? All the horrible things happening around us? Does he not want us to see the growing homeless population on the streets, or the destroyed forests, or garbage filled oceans and polluted streams? What about all the beautiful landscapes and destinations the real world offers? We'll be missing those too.
Is the plan for us all to strap on a V/R headset or glasses and forget the physical world exists?
Hard pass, Zuck.
Have you seen Mark's video introducing Meta? He basically describes all the things we can already do, but now we can do them (with even less human interaction) while wearing a headset over our eyes.
How "innovative".
Here's a few of my thoughts on the metaverse:
*Again, I am not anti-metaverse, I know it sounds like it, but I do think there are some cool uses for it.
Zuckerberg states we can have a "home office" to work out of. Okay....so this isn't for people who work in any industry where being in-person is vital like manufacturing, retail, food, healthcare, and other services. Got it.
Apparently, in the metaverse, you can design a second virtual home and create a second virtual wardrobe. But here's the kicker....you can purchase "name brand" and designer virtual items (from guess who -- I'll tell you, advertisers, from virtual advertisers) so it's like keeping up with the jones' but not only in real life but, also in your virtual life too. Sounds expensive, toxic, and exhausting.
You can also invite people to your house and play games and hang out. Wow, what a ground-shattering idea. If only there was a way we could do that already. Oh wait...
When your friends come over in the metaverse, can you hug them? No, not physically. And there's no substitute for human touch. Sorry, on that one Zuck, it's a no from me. I don't care how good your sensory gloves are. It's not the same.
Wait, but apparently you can teleport in the metaverse!? No. Not really. Only as much as you currently can on the internet. Don't try to redefine the meaning of teleport, Mr. Zuck. It's just another zoom-like meeting -- with 360-degree viewing. It's not actual teleporting. We aren't physically traveling anywhere in the metaverse. Be a lot cooler if you did.
Apparently, everything is a hologram in the metaverse. No more TV's or websites will be needed. Sounds like more advertising to me. I imagine we will be paying for things like concert tickets to watch a hologram perform. Coming to you "live" from the metaverse. No thanks, I'll save my money.
There will be 3-D art in the metaverse. Oh wait, that already exists too.
According to Zuckerberg,
"You're going to be able to move across all these different experiences on all kinds of different devices, sometimes using virtual reality so you're fully immersed, sometimes using augmented reality glasses so you can be present in the physical world as well, and sometimes on a computer or phone so you can quickly jump into the metaverse from existing platforms."
So, what he's saying is....we still will need all our other devices. The metaverse adds more devices and apps to our lives, which means more ads and things to spend money on. Greeaaat.
Horizon is the new Meta (formerly Facebook) V/R social media platform. It has versions for "home", "worlds" and "workspace". It all looks very cartoon like to me. I don't want to travel to a cartoon world. I want to see real destinations. Why does it have to look like we are in a Disney Pixar film?
One thing missing from all the video clips in Zuckerberg's presentation is that he doesn't show anyone wearing a headset when (in reality) all those people in the video will have a headset strapped to their head or a pair of glasses on. It's a sad picture when you envision it as it really is.
The two old men playing chess would be wearing headsets in real life sitting on their couches, as would the ping pong players, and every other person in the video like the cycling class participants. Technically, if the video is from the metaverse, Mark Z should also be wearing a headset or glasses his entire presentation. But he is likely just in front of a green screen, not in the metaverse. But what do I know. I'm just a simp for the real world.
One thing comes to mind here about headsets....Guess we'll all be near-sighted in the future? Putting a high res and speed computing device on your face for extended periods of time cannot be good.
Feels like Zuck is not being totally transparent about what the experience is really like. It was funny how in the video Zuckerberg interviews one of his team members....live, in-person, sitting in the same room. Why not do the interview in the metaverse? Probably because he won't be using it himself very much. The whole thing about Facebook (Meta) has been to keep as many people logged-in, distracted, and engaged as possible to show as many ads as possible to pocket as much money as possible. Why would anyone with half a brain cell think the metaverse wouldn't be the same?
Call me a Negative Nancy, but I'm on team Icelandverse for now. Watch the country of Iceland's tourism video for a great real-world spoof of the Zuckerberg video.
ALSO....If you didn't like my critique of the Metaverse -- go watch Cody Ko's YouTube video critique of the Zuckerberg video announcement. His video's are hilarious.
Signing off (from the real world)!
This article was originally posted in my LinkedIn Newsletter "Emerging Technology" which has 70,000+ subscribers.
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Author Bio: I am a mom, consultant, writer, and investor who loves to learn. I have over 320,000+ followers on LinkedIn, and over 75,000 subscribers to my newsletter titled, “Emerging Technology”. In 2016, Linkedin.com named me in their annual “Top Voices” list as one of the “10 must-know writers in technology”.
I started this website in 2015, after years of jumping from blogging platform to blogging platform. Ever since my first blog in 2003, I have enjoyed sharing knowledge, providing resources, and voicing my opinions.
I hold an Associate of Science in Social Sciences, a Bachelor of Science in Human Services with a concentration in Community Health, and a Master of Science in Corporate & Organizational Communication. Additionally, I have held various certificates and licenses over the years such as Licensed Real Estate Agent. My professional work spans several industries with jobs ranging from Trust Fund Associate to Golf Course General Manager to Strategic Communications Specialist.
These days, I work as a Senior IT Consultant helping organizations expand and grow, mitigate risk, identify gaps, find efficiencies, and improve processes. Outside of work, you can find me hanging out with my kids, cuddling with the dog, gardening, working out, reading, watching movies, golfing, cooking, or napping.