By Jeremy Brito, London
In October 2021, Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook would be rebranded as ‘Meta’ consolidating Facebook’s technologies including: – Instagram and Whatsapp etc… under one company. With the web on the verge of a major upgrade from version 2.0 to 3.0, Meta’s long-term aim is to develop its business around the ‘Metaverse’. Where Web 2.0 focused on mobile internet, social media and cloud computing, Web 3.0 will shift to an open and more socially aware service providing users with a vastly richer and immersive user experience.
So, what exactly is the Metaverse? The Metaverse is a virtual space where users are represented by an avatar and can interact with others within this space. Currently, the user experience of the internet is two dimensional (2-D) and involves a keyboard, mouse or controller. In the Metaverse, these accessories are going to be superseded by wearable technology such as virtual reality headsets, bodysuits and gloves that can tap into human senses, fully immersing the user in a 3-D virtual experience. Zuckerburg’s Meta is leading development of the Metaverse in terms of social interaction. Their platform would provide the ability to connect with friends and family, learn new skills, play games, shop in virtual stores or buy real estate all within a 3-D virtual world accessed via their Oculus Quest 2 VR headset. To date, Meta has invested $150 million in training and empowering independent creators with innovative technological tools which will boost the Metaverse.
Tech giant, Microsoft, is focusing their Metaverse initiatives on improving the “workplace” by upgrading their ‘Teams’ software to ‘Mesh’. Mesh utilises Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 VR headset to connect, meet and collaborate with colleagues around the world in a 3-D space, allowing users to embody an avatar or hologram via the ‘Holoportation’ feature in order to co-create and annotate content in real time.
Despite these cutting-edge advances, the Metaverse is not without controversy. Let’s take a closer look at some challenges and explore the possibilities to improve the Metaverse, creating a safe and positive environment for users and organisations.
Data Privacy
- Due to the immersive experience of the Metaverse, there is an opportunity for companies to harvest and market even more user data
- This has led to further discussion by governments about tighter data regulation for the Metaverse
- However, companies such as Mysilio and Uhive have decided to take decisive action and develop decentralised blockchain solutions with the purpose of providing autonomy, privacy and control for its organisations and users
Metaverse Tax
- Meta have announced that they will plan to take 47.5% share of revenue from content creators within their Metaverse platform, Horizon Worlds
- This charge is surprising considering Facebook had criticised Apple for charging their creators 30% of their revenue
- This negative move has been met with disregard by creators as it limits the opportunity of individual creators and small businesses to develop a wide range of virtual products and services
Mental Health
- In early 2021, the UK government carried out a survey to analyse how the Coronavirus pandemic had affected people’s mental health. They found that 1 in 5 adults had suffered some form of depression and this number had doubled from before the pandemic.
- The mental health crisis has seen the rise of virtual reality (VR) healthcare within the Metaverse
- Companies such as XRHealth are using virtual reality to provide patients with tailored treatment rooms to help them deal with depression and stress. The FDA approved treatment can help patients to rewire their brain and grow in a natural way in a safe and controlled space without the need for drugs
Female Safety
- Female safety is a huge issue with harassment, abuse and bullying a common occurrence within the Metaverse
- Female Meta employees who have volunteered to be testers with the Metaverse have reported of being sexual harassment
- Despite these reports no real action is being taken to curb this behaviour. This is also concerning as the development of wearable technology such as bodysuits will become common place
- As a result, stringent measures need to be put in place by both Meta and VR developers to ensure offending users are permanently banned and cannot return back to the platform. If the appropriate action is not taken by Metaverse companies, they should be fined
