The Metaverse, once the buzzword of the pandemic era, with Facebook’s rebranding to Meta as the cherry on top. Mark Zuckerberg went all in: in just a year and a half, he invested over $16 billion into this digital world project1. The idea of building the “new internet”, or even replacing the smartphone, may sound fantastic for a tech company. But behind the promising dreams lies a more pressing question: should we, as a society, truly want this?
I’ll be upfront: I’m critical. The prospect of exchanging even more of our offline lives for a digital world feels more frightening than hopeful. Of course, I believe in progress and technological innovation. But the Metaverse? I’d rather see humanity let that one pass us by.
Yes, there are some useful use cases. Think of training students in a virtual environment for complex professions, from surgeons to mechanics. For these kinds of use cases, I fully welcome the Metaverse. But when it comes to our social and human existence, I see the glass mostly half empty.
First, the Metaverse could increase the social gap between us. We are already glued to our phones, do we really want to extend that by giving up our real lives for a virtual one too? Life is built on our senses: genuine conversations, a handshake, a simple look into someone’s eyes. In the Metaverse these become dull, replaced by cartoonish avatars in artificial landscapes. People may feel more “connected”, but research shows the opposite. They state that heavy social media users consistently report higher levels of loneliness and depression2. The metaverse could amplify this paradox: more digital connections, but fewer meaningful and deeper friendships.
Second, it will stimulate impulsive consumption. Digital outfits, exclusive worlds, designer avatars, you can name it. I fear a marketplace of transactions, distributing the money into the “wrong” hands. These tech companies have the brightest minds, biggest data sets and already a good understanding of who we are, we are not in a good position. The signs are by the way already there: teenagers spending lots of money on platforms like Roblox, trading real money for virtual status.
Third, it will increase health risks. Less movement, more screen time, and the desire of escaping the real world can fuel addiction, depression, and physical problems. The youngest generations are most at risk. We already live in a world where more children are obese than underweight3. I really think we shouldn’t stimulate indoor lifestyle more, but spending more time outdoors with friends, family or just alone.
And finally, privacy. Today, Meta knows what we click and like. In the Metaverse it will know how we move, know where we look, and how we feel. If even our emotions become measurable data, how much humanity remains?
The Metaverse promises a new world. But perhaps it is mostly an escape from the real one. And that, flawed as it may be, is the only world we truly have.
References:
