Written By: Tosin Ajogbeje/Date: 2021-10-30
Woot woot! Is the internet economy about to change the world for good? Facebook currently announced its name change to “Meta” to align with the company’s ambition to build the “metaverse.” So can we say Meta will revolutionize how we stay inclusive and remain present in a virtual world? Let’s look at what research is saying about this extended reality. The metaverse is envisioned to be a focal point for interactive connectivity and a “singular space” to communicate, socialize, entertain, and sell goods and services. Experts are saying that “extended reality(XR) includes the mix of virtual, augmented and mixed reality.
Additionally, XR technologies have always been restricted to video games and niche enterprise applications. But just like virtual, 3D environments, these technologies will increasingly become platforms for social and business engagement. Now that we know that the metaverse is a strategy for building a virtual cosmos, so how does Metaverse work? A Washington Post article states that when operating this medium and moving from one space to another, one will teleport into it by performing the metaverse’s equivalent of clicking a link.
Likewise “you” which is that Meta will be represented in form of an avatar or multiple avatars in these virtual spaces depending on your activity or task. For example, you might sometimes share your “lifelike” avatar as a profile picture on Instagram or LinkedIn rather than posting others. This is equivalent to how you can use the metaverse. Mark Zuckerberg revealed Facebook’s change to Meta at the company’s annual Connect event on October 28.
Given that Facebook is currently facing ceaseless fusillade of negative media related to public safety, online harassment, and threats to democracy, critics are not too sure about the “metaverse design. Considering the new developments, critics are speculating that this could somehow push away all the bad press. There are questions about safeguards being put in place to protect the privacy rights of people. Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg indicated “You’ll get to decide when you want to be with other people, when you want to block someone from appearing in your space or when you want to take a break and teleport to a private bubble to be alone,” says Zuckerberg.
In a MSNBC article, columnist, Tiffany C. Li raised concerns about trusting Meta’s versatility especially when it comes to harassment issues and broad problems that could come with it. Tiffany gives an example of how the law isn’t ready to govern problems that relate to online harassers yelling at someone the entire day in a virtual reality space or in cases where Meta chooses to block one from accessing its platform or app.
Meta’s array of products includes Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus which occupies a whopping size of the present-day internet. Of course, every online platform faces problems with misreport and privateness. Policymakers looking to dominate in Big Tech need to be watchful and not harm startups and nonprofit organizations in the process of maintaining a vibrant and competitive technology marketplace. Although we ha2ven’t jumped into metaverse just yet, but there is a call for Big Tech’s like Meta to take protective measures and enforce consumer protection to preserve the future of virtual reality. As we progress into a digital economy and design complex, innovative computer platforms, it is critical to prioritize safety laws for people’s security.
References
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/10/facebook-meta-what-is-the-metaverse/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/10/28/facebook-meta-metaverse-explained/
Photo retrieved from the Toronto Star