Ready... Metaverse!

As Facebook becomes Meta, Metaverse becomes the next big thing

the space race.

The metaverse is the hypothesized next iteration of the internet, supporting decentralized, persistent online 3-D virtual environments. This virtual space will be accessible through virtual reality headsets, augmented reality glasses, smartphones, PCs, and game consoles.-Wikipedia

What does this mean? Will life become that in the movie "Ready, Play One"? A bit about that concept first. In the movie, somewhat a bit dystopian, people could have two kinds of lives, one in a reality where they go to work, make a living, and survive while the other one being in a world called "The OASIS", created in virtual reality where people work, make a living, and survive... Well, they are almost the same but if you die in real life, you die for real! That world in The OASIS is basically the Metaverse. The quickest way to understand, watch the movie.

Why now? Can it be done? Are we ready?

Since the information age, humanity has always been trying to narrow the boundaries between humans and machines. We constantly push for convenience, efficiency, and productivity. As the world needs less labor and more brainpower, limited by time and technology, it is only inevitable that we create something entirely fake and so fake that we cannot tell the difference anymore. Therefore, the Metaverse.

The future will be one device away. We don't know about the future but we can forge one. Before witnessing any of the sci-fi madness, it's actually here long ago if you think about it. Social media & filters, smartphones & their related gadgets, and people driving their avatars in open-world games. It will be no stranger to those who are socially active that we've already put one foot down before Facebook thought about changing its name.

The sky is the limit! The applications for the Metaverse are practically limitless. Imagine instead of watching movies, we experience them; instead of going through the therapy of tragic events, we relive them and make a different call; instead of getting sick, we all live online (aren't we almost doing that). Moreover, we may finally reach equality on a global scale for the first time. If a fictional world is going to be created, why not make it a utopia. When the time comes, just like the internet, governments should make sure that everyone is entitled to a device to connect to a world where there are no discrimination, no physical harm, and no limits of space and time. Besides, it would probably be the time we reach immortality by using Deepfake to characterize our personality into an AI OS. Death, will not be a tragedy anymore.

That said, it is guaranteed that humanity will mess up the opportunity to be rid of all our problems. As long as the world runs on money, there will always be those who tip the balance to their side, and then we're back on the merry-go-round. Will people get addicted? That's not even a question. Here are some of the concerns from our Sunday meeting on this topic, and they are genuine concerns:

• It might create a bigger gap for those who aren't techy.

• Living in a fictional world may affect our physical health.

• We may start losing the grasp of reality, not sure what is real anymore.

• People may try to escape their responsibilities in the real world by keeping themselves logged in.

• The Metaverse may worsen the hierarchies in our society. The rich and powerful become the richer and the more powerful.

But what do you think, friends who have read thus far? As the lines go in "300",

"What should we do?"

"What can we do?"

"What can you do!?"

#selfreflect