Metaverse

[spinderella]

So, I don't want to come off like a paranoid nutcase.  However, I'm pretty concerned with talk of the Metaverse and what this will mean for humanity in the next 10 years or so (please don't tell me it will be even less time).  I had a bad dream about it last night so I'm maybe a little more verbose about it than I usually would be so bear with me. 

Basically my question is - wtf are we going to do when meta is basically like a cellphone, where we need to use it in order to make any plans or get food or anything?  Are people going to move to other countries and pockets of the world where people are actively resisting this?  Or rather, peacefully living in a world overtaken by technology?  I'm feeling afraid that the government (or whoever) now knows they can get the world into their houses and afraid to leave at the snap of their fingers - what's to stop whoever from having this happen again, and then launching Meta - "now, you don't even need to leave your house to experience the world!".  And the masses will be grateful to Meta for providing them this opportunity. I'm honest to god pretty scared of this and am wanting to have an exit plan for if this shit happens. 

Am I the only one afraid of this?  Do others see it too? 

Also - what are the options here?  I guess to either decide to leave and resist it, or learn to peacefully coexist with it.  If I'm going to peacefully co-exist, does anyone have any recommendations for books or podcasts to tell me wtf is going on? 

And - are we already living in a sort of metaverse?  Is it just that this next step looks to be more tangible and real to me?  

Edited January 15, 2022 by spinderella
More questions needed to be asked

[BlueOak]

Social connections are good. They help have a sense of community, and level out the extremes just by sharing life together naturally.

VR is nice but you don't see VR taking the place of 2D video games for example, because its niche. People at home have kids to look after, how many want to shut off their view of life entirely? A few, but nowhere near the numbers needed. I remember when second life gave people this fear it'd take over actual life, and for some they built shops there, built communities but did it? No. It was just part of life. It was a fun visit but in a few years the novelty fell away.

What's to stop it happening by default.

1) The current human nature. Greed.

Businesses won't lose money or customers for a cultural change. That is blindly evident on things like the environment but it also works on things like, not getting rid of physical money in favor of using credit cards, or forcing people to have/use a phone. Their profits would take a hit, because the people that won't pay on the card or don't like to, won't or won't be inclined to as much. Same with the phone. Same with any technological development.

2) Novelty. Technology gets a few years and then shifts to something else.

If its not built on real life, it only lasts so long. Nothing is permanent but the next technology development is never far away. I've seen so many virtual worlds go through this and many were social, and several had real incomes or communities attached to them.

3) Distractions.

Have you ever tried to live your life purely in distraction? Rather than real life?

I have. I was a master at it. But you always get depression coming back up, the connection here in this idea adds a part missing in traditional distractions but its still not enough. Fictional communities lack meaning. You'll have to trust me on that, i've immersed myself deeply in some of them, and they don't last. Connections with others are not solid, they are broken easily, and they are abandoned over trivial things. Because they are not real, lasting or often meaningful (with a few exceptions, fond first memories for example).

Finally some thoughts.

So far all i've seen from the internet the last 20 years is its gone in the direction of censorship and removing that which communities don't like. If that trend continues, less and less people will consider it as platform to build a significant part of their life on, because parts of them won't be welcome. It won't stop existing, but I think the idea of a metaverse replacing life is overexaggerated. Like most technological changes that have come, they are there, but I get a sense people are getting tired of spending too much time on them. The gradual reaction to facebook, and other social media is an example of that.

As for moving maybe, i've considered it over a large enough issue before. I do think its healthy to be in a community that you feel at least comfortable in, makes a big difference in your life. Where I am now its down to earth, sometimes too conservative for me, but it doesn't shift much. 

Are we living in a metaverse, a bit yes with connections like this one we are having here or electronic transactions. Like I say if you want an example of a metaverse that came and slowly declined take a look at the history of second life, or Entropia Universe etc. These had real incomes for people but they never were popular enough to replace real life for the masses. Countless MMO's and virtual worlds have come and gone over the years more than I could ever count.

So don't fear too much. If you don't want it, chances are you are not alone.

Edited January 15, 2022 by BlueOak

[Vynce]

Maybe I have misunderstood you but be careful not to judge "the masses" for dumb and "grateful" for Facebook technology. This is so common in conscious developed egos. 
When Oculus Rift (first VR headset) came out people thought, that "gamers" will now completely lose their sense for reality, because they now have this immersive alternative reality. Nothing alike happened. It was not even a big trend. 

Another example would be the gene manipulative technology CRISPR. I remember discussions about designers babies and how North Korea can make "super warriors" now. 

The same with Elon Musks Neuralink. 

The structure of these concerns stays the same: The most horrific scenario gets projected onto the "masses", without seeing the practicability of such technologies and what has to happen until your parents and co-workers actually implement a chip in their head. There are just too many developed beings nowadays for these horrific scenarios to play out. And the technology is mostly not even 1% as immersive as this dream you are in right now. 

 

[tsuki]

The issue is not with technology merging with our lives to make it easier. It is with giant corporations using it to turn people's attention into a product for advertising companies and using private data to influence people's choices en masse.

As for artificial adventures, we are already doing this with books, radio, cinema, TV, videogames, etc. This is just another step of a process that started a long time ago. It teaches us that emotions are basically entertainment, that they don't have any other function. I bet soma is just around the corner...

Edited January 20, 2022 by tsuki

[Ivan Dimi]

On 1/15/2022 at 4:33 PM, spinderella said:

So, I don't want to come off like a paranoid nutcase.  However, I'm pretty concerned with talk of the Metaverse and what this will mean for humanity in the next 10 years or so (please don't tell me it will be even less time).  I had a bad dream about it last night so I'm maybe a little more verbose about it than I usually would be so bear with me. 

Basically my question is - wtf are we going to do when meta is basically like a cellphone, where we need to use it in order to make any plans or get food or anything?  Are people going to move to other countries and pockets of the world where people are actively resisting this?  Or rather, peacefully living in a world overtaken by technology?  I'm feeling afraid that the government (or whoever) now knows they can get the world into their houses and afraid to leave at the snap of their fingers - what's to stop whoever from having this happen again, and then launching Meta - "now, you don't even need to leave your house to experience the world!".  And the masses will be grateful to Meta for providing them this opportunity. I'm honest to god pretty scared of this and am wanting to have an exit plan for if this shit happens. 

Am I the only one afraid of this?  Do others see it too? 

Also - what are the options here?  I guess to either decide to leave and resist it, or learn to peacefully coexist with it.  If I'm going to peacefully co-exist, does anyone have any recommendations for books or podcasts to tell me wtf is going on? 

And - are we already living in a sort of metaverse?  Is it just that this next step looks to be more tangible and real to me?  

My opinion is that you are describing or rather fearing the worst case scenario. But this worst case scenario comes with every new technology and until now we always survivev

I think if metaverse become what Zucks dreams of it will be similar breakthrough like the invention of the Internet some decades ago, so lots of new oportionities and lots of new negatives.

But one thing is for sure  the tech companies are gaining more and more power & that's pretty scary. I think one day they will be more powerful than any country in the world. I thing this is almost inevitable under the current system.

Edited January 20, 2022 by Ivan Dimi

[Yarco]

I think that the metaverse is inevitable, and that trying to fight it is like trying to fight cell phones or TVs. Soon everyone you know is going to have it. It will have some negative aspects but probably offer enough benefits and conveniences to outweigh that.

Don't think of the metaverse like The Matrix. Think of it more like Internet 3.0. It's not going to be as flashy as you think it is, where we'll all be wearing VR goggles for 12 hours a day. The Metaverse is going to be on your desktop browser too.  It'll be a new centralized identity that you can use to log in via blockchain instead of using your Facebook login, but you'll still be able to sign in with email or username instead if you want. The main aspect of the metaverse IMO is the ability to transfer stuff between different platforms seamlessly.

It's also worth knowing that the concept of the metaverse is so new that right now nobody really knows what it will completely look like. Right now it's basically just video games and clunky/awkward remote meetings.

I bought a VR headset and trust me, the technology isn't there yet. It's heavy and uncomfortable on your face and head. The battery life isn't great. Majority of people start to get motion sickness after a half hour or so. That's not where I foresee our new life realistically being.

On 1/15/2022 at 10:33 AM, spinderella said:

wtf are we going to do when meta is basically like a cellphone, where we need to use it in order to make any plans or get food or anything?  Are people going to move to other countries and pockets of the world where people are actively resisting this?  Or rather, peacefully living in a world overtaken by technology?

I don't see something that drastic isn't going to happen in the next 10 or 20 years, probably not in our lifetime if ever.

Right now we CAN order food on our phones or computers, but we can also still go order stuff in person despite the technology being available for many years. 

I don't think we will live to see a day where you can't walk into a grocery store or restaurant and pick what you want physically. Technology gives you more options, but it almost never eliminates previous options. Aside from paperless billing, I can't think of many situations where you are punished or unable to access a service the traditional way.

You won't need to actively resist, it'll just be a choice. It might be a difficult choice that makes your life seem inconvenient in comparison, like paying your bill with paper cheques every month and mailing them with stamps.

On 1/15/2022 at 10:33 AM, spinderella said:

And - are we already living in a sort of metaverse?  Is it just that this next step looks to be more tangible and real to me?  

Yes, I've noticed in my own life that I'm just resistant to new change. But I'm totally accepting of technology that already existed when I was a kid. To be honest, I don't know how old people who lived in the 1940s and 1950s are able to cope with all the new technology they've witnessed in their lifetime. In my 30 years on this planet it's already overwhelming and I'm already starting to lose my mind.

I think it was Elon Musk who said we are basically already androids because of our phone. It's just that the technology isn't implanted into us in an invasive way, and the input is fairly slow right now as it's limited to us typing or speaking. Your phone is already an extension of yourself. Most people feel lost or anxious to leave the house without it, and can't even go to the bathroom without it. Your phone is already doing all of the bad stuff that the metaverse is going to do. If you're worried about privacy, that battle has already been lost.

Edited January 21, 2022 by Yarco