Everything You Want
Everyone is super excited about the upcoming VR release from Apple, and it looks pretty fantastic - if you are into that kind of thing. It is interesting though, because a lot of the same people who are excited, also declared the Metaverse "dead" because Meta (Facebook) has spent billions and got no traction on it. What they failed to realize of course is, the Metaverse isn't a single company offering, it is a change in digital living, a cultural shift.
This might make me sound like I am pro-Metaverse, but it is not that simple, because I consider there are massive risks to it. Much like the internet, with all the access to information and the opportunity to learn almost anything to improve ourselves, we largely haven't used it in that way and it has instead amplified our worst traits and has divided us further in so many ways - even as it brings us together. No matter how extreme the thought, like minds can be found on the internet.
Why would the Metaverse be any different?
The Metaverse as it will at least initially stand, is the perfect environment for governments and corporations, because the entire structure is controlled. And the better it gets, the more engineered it becomes, the more compelling and people will likely choose to stay connected, much like they are glued to their phone screens now. This is the perfect medium for revenue generation, with a captured audience that has little else to do, except consume from a virtual environment.
One of the reasons that tech companies have such a high capitalization of their workforce, is because most of them produce very little that is real. This keeps costs down and maximizes income, an once there is the foundation and market in place, the incremental changes can be applied, without building the rest of the product at all. This is different to a car company for instance, where if they make cosmetic changes for the new range, they still have to build the entire car to sell it.
There are so many "areas of opportunity" to increase value, but reduce movement of people, that governments are definitely going to back it. Meeting environmental targets gets easier when people are not travelling as much, there is less need to upgrade or build roads and cars, houses can be smaller and people are staying at home, connected, rather than travelling on holiday. The list of savings is massive, which sounds like a good thing, but what about the costs?
On the internet, know one knows you are a dog.
How many people are going to build a "true to life" avatar of themselves? If Instagram is anything to go by, not many. People can design their digital representation to be something completely different to who they actually are, which sounds great in some senses, but is it healthy? The most commonly depressed people seem to be those who have a digital footprint that puts them in a frame quite different to their physical reality. And once it is possible to get the dopamine hits through digital interaction from the comfort and convenience of never leaving the couch, where does it end up?
Will people move more, or less?
Will they feel better about themselves when they get up from the couch and have to walk to their fridge, put on clothes, look in the mirror? Will they feel good having to squeeze themselves through narrow aisles, or will they miss the freedom of the digital space, the one where they never have to bend to tie their shoelaces, or walk a flight of stairs.
In the digital space we can be "weightless" - we can choose to leave the baggage at the door and design our life, which sounds awesome in so many ways, it sounds utopic. However, it won't be our lives that we are designing, but an experience of a life structured for us, built within the confines of an engineered space with the sole goal of profit maximization. We can see what this has done to interaction on the web2 internet of advertising revenue models - the Metaverse will take it to a new level, an immersive experience that attaches us through all of our senses, to the products being hocked.
We will be able to get everything we want.
We can live in a weightless world, looking how we want, interacting with people who look the way they want. It seems like a world of potential equality, but it will not be, because below the surface, we will still be us, our physical selves, the one who knows the conflict between who we are and the illusion we have created. They call it virtual reality, but it is not that at all - it is virtual fantasy. And many will connect and not want to leave.
Plug-in hybrids.
Humans are animals of convenience and there is nothing more convenient on the surface level, than living life digitally. Never having to worry about how we look, have physical skills, get dressed, or brush our teeth.
Work from home. Live at home. Holiday at home. Buy at home. Die at home.
We as a species are defined by our ability to innovate, but there is one thing that is consistent for all technological advancement to date - no matter how much good they can generate, they have all been weaponized for control. Physical control. Financial control. Mental control. Emotional control. The technologies of today are robust in nature, multifaceted and able to trigger a connection with us at our core. They can prey on our fears and offer us relief from our suffering, even while they lock us deeper into their subscription model.
When we have everything we want, we'll never want to leave - even if we could.
A richer digital environment - a poorer life experience.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Posted Using LeoFinance Alpha
The metaverse is a concept of a persistent online 3D universe that combines multiple different virtual spaces. You can think of it as a future version of the Internet. The metaverse allows users to work, meet, play and socialise together in these 3D spaces.
The metaverse does not quite exist, but some platforms contain elements similar to those of a metaverse. Video games currently offer the closest metaverse experience that exists. Developers have pushed the boundaries of gaming by organising in-game events and creating virtual economies.
Although not mandatory, cryptocurrencies can be ideal for a metaverse. They allow for the creation of a digital economy with different types of utility tokens and virtual collectibles (NFTs). The metaverse would also benefit from the use of crypto wallets, such as Trust Wallet and MetaMask. In addition, blockchain technology can provide transparent and reliable governance systems.
Blockchain, applications similar to the metaverse, already exist and provide people with a living income. Axie Infinity is a play-to-earn game that many users play to increase their income. Second Live and Decentraland are other examples of how to successfully mix the blockchain world and virtual reality applications.
As we look to the future, the big tech giants are trying to lead the way. However, the decentralised aspects of the blockchain industry are allowing smaller players to also participate in the development of the metaverse.
I remembered the film Surrogates “Iden tity Substitute Iden tity”, I am sure that this will be the future of our mortal bodies.
Yeah, I know what and how the metaverse works and what the capabilities and potentials are for crypto and blockchain, yet it is not a justification for endorsing digital slavery. Yet, that is where we are headed.
So unique article I really enjoyed while reading about this topic, I think we don't have to worried about that we have simple solution unplugged or disconnected everything and get out of this digital fantasy,it's very easy to do for some people but it's very hard to do for many others depending on their addiction level but it's still possible to disconnect with everything related to digital lifestyle
Do you find it easy to disconnect?
It's not easy for me to disconnect with everything because hive is a my full time job or business, but believe me disconnected to something unproductive like tiktok, Instagram is not so hard for me
At work, I have to research technologies like this and determine if it's worth the money to procure and implement within company policies. It's definitely an amazing piece of technology. However, in a world governed by human performance monitoring and exacting requirements, it's currently a waste of time at a power plant.
We tried to use the Oculus Quest at work a couple of years ago. It didn't last long. People would use the tech and try to start walking around. For emergency response, it was a nightmare because no one would put the volume down during use. During emergency announcement tests, the goggles served as a distraction. Response times could be jeopardized. The end result was that I killed its introduction. We're just not ready for it and there's currently no practical use.
Not gonna lie though, I've got an Oculus Quest at home that my wife gifted to me after grad school. It has some really cool features, but I can only use it at night, if at all, now that my kids are getting older. I never want them to use it until they're old enough to control themselves. This tech is designed to keep you seated and engaged. This means that you're not paying attention to something else in the real world. Kids need growth. For an adult coming home after a long day of work, it has some fun uses, but nothing productive currently.
They would forget they couldn't see? :D
I have seen it used on site with it hooked up to a DMS that allows for a maintenance worker to pull up schematics and service books etc, as well as having capabilities to order parts and stuff. It is a bit of a niche area though.
Exactly. We can see what is happening to many kids through a palm-sized screen as it is - what happens with high level immersion? But, it will be convenient for parents too - so many will willingly enslave their children.
The convenience is what is scariest for me. I remember when my wife was pregnant with our first child. We’re were at the hospital doing some paperwork and an infant was in his crib holding an iPhone and watching YouTube. The mom looked pretty exhausted and looked to be resting. Someone called the mom on that phone and the kid lost their shit cause they couldn’t watch the phone. That was scary.
Oh and about the power plant workers forgetting there were things around them? Yeah, lol that actually happened. Some would start getting wobbly because they’d forget their footing too. I had to use chairs for the rest of the testing.
Convenience is a regression to inaction. As adults, we are made to make our lives easier, however our childhood was filled with challenge. The children that are being raised today have had a fundamentally different upbringing - I call the "iPhone babies" the unnatural children. Kids are meant to move, play, make noise, interrupt - children are not convenient.
I wonder how many deaths in the future will be caused by "wearing VR headset and falling"
I would expect VR statistics on death and injuries to become more realized once immersive suits or vests become more available. However, there are stories out there.
iPhone babies are unnatural and scary to me at least. I can understand a child’s complaints if they want food or a chance to run outside. Crying because someone needs their phone-fix is just criminal.
At what point is it actually criminalized as child abuse?
It’s more of an opinion than anything. Brief periods of time shouldn’t be a problem, but substituting it for normal interactions or bonding could be problematic. I doubt there are laws in the books for excessive iPhone use. It seems to be immoral but not unlawful in any extent.
It is a group of things however. Looking at the obesity epidemic as an example, it is illegal to underfeed a child, but apparently, not overfeed, or feed the wrong kinds of foods.
In terms of education, children have to go to school, but if a parent isn't providing a suitable foundation, or environment to be able to learn well, it is going to be a constant struggle for no good reason.
I should expand a little bit as this is close to home. Let’s say you have a relative whose primary outlet is the phone you provide. The relative keeps to themselves and prefers to, for instance, stay at home to play on it or video games while the family goes out for some family time. This is a common occurrence in that the parents always prefer to leave the kid alone with their games. I think this is abusive and negligent. In this example, the child grew to be a young adult who never ventured out or sought friends at least party because of this.
I admit though that there are always exceptions to the rule and I can always be wrong.
But, it is convenient for the parent and safe for the child... until they have to venture into the world.
I have some "opinions" about these things, (right or wrong), where for example, we are giving kids an upbringing that doesn't prepare them for the realities of the world - all they will be able to do, is live in a virtual fantasy, justifying it as a quality life.
No. I think you have the right opinion. It's important to keep kids safe, but you also have to do that by preparing them for the outside world.
Rightly said “virtual fantasy” the world will soon have a lot less physical interactions and I am truly worried about that.
It already has and people think it is better for them, whilst they are getting unhappier by the day.
Dear my friend @tarazkp !
Perhaps you are claiming that the Metaverse will become a blue ocean that allows individuals to earn new investments and income, I understand.
By the way, In the East Asian world where I live, the metaverse doesn't get much attention.
Since the world I live in is turning into a communist system, the state monitors all personal property.
So, individuals like me are limited by the state in their production and consumption activities.
Since I am currently in the position of a serf, I do not have the capital or skills to invest in the metaverse.
So, most people in the world I live in don't know about the metaverse.
Only the state and large corporations have the money and technology to invest in the metaverse.
In communist East Asia, I speculated, the metaverse would simply be a vehicle for states and large corporations to exploit individuals!
The digital world will make it even easier for them to monitor.
They invest into building it - you will invest into consuming it, one way or another - that is why they invest.
I agree with you!
In the world I live in, the metaverse is becoming a means for states and large corporations to exploit individuals.
Funny how the Google Glass failed miserably but Apple have decided to give it another go. Interesting for sure.
Google Glass was an early experiment. It only failed in the market, not in the direction :)
All technology does is take us into that magical world, for many, unreal, for others the climax. I in particular am a lover of these things and enjoy watching a film in the third dimension. It is a medium future, the problem is that it will be for the wealthy to enjoy at first.
Everything is for the wealthy first, except slavery. Poor people are first in line - making the wealthy, wealthier.
I aslo agree to all these terms as man is scientifically considered as animals but an innovative once. Who make innovations and living their life styles better.
Today's man has earned his life standard from alot of hard work. He has a full control on emotions and feelings.
Great post @tarazkp.
I am quite worried for mark and his meta-verse project, it is taking a lots of time and resources. But, i want to belief this Meta verse project is more of Virtual Reality and not Robotics ?. Because, the moment a human can get a customized robots that could represent him/her in every occasion, then we are cooked 😂.
Virtual Reality sounds more like a great idea, but i still don't understand how it is gonna work with other projects. Take a good look at crypto currency, it could easily relate with all other centralized systems and even social medias. But how well could this VR relate with other things we are familiar with ?.
The VR doesn't have to relate to other things, it just needs to program us. It is like kids swiping on books, trying to change the page.
I didn't realize Apple was releasing that until I saw the announcement. I think it is going to be too pricey for a lot of people. I could be wrong though. People scrape together money for dumber stuff. I hope it does well for Apple, that would be good for my stock. I'm just not feeling it yet though.
People tend to find money for stupid. :D
You don't even know... My wife has so many stories from when she worked at the bait shop.
Showing an image of your eyes to someone who approaches you is the most creepy insane thing i have seen, coming out from apple, makes me shudder.
The Mac air 15 inch looks awesome on the other hand
I am not an Apple user - good products, not good people :D
The news about this has not reached my cave yet.Now I will try to forget this.Everyone will remind you.
For some reason this brings to mind the guy from the Matrix who betrays the crew. He just wants to be plugged back into the Matrix for good, with all his desires met once inside the Matrix. He would rather be a slave to the Matrix and have all these imaginary "riches" than a free man.
Most people say they would red pill it, but in reality, the vast majority are blue-pilling daily.
Metaverse has a chance to help people in old age who has nobody in their life. Some of the people who want to have more connections and are kind of left out. I am pretty sure AI with fake persona would be keeping people engaged in metaverse in near future. It would have stories and scenarios to live in. kind of like matrix world. I guess that world would have cure for a lot of people out there.
Cure? I think it is only treating a symptom and that symptom isn't natural, it is conditioned. It is like making people sick and then forcing them to buy a vaccine.
Honestly, I don't know what to say. Firstly, the idea of the VR which will be released by Apple may see to be a good one but it is quite expensive. Well, we all know that a lot of people can afford it but the majority of people will not be able to afford it.
Also, I don't think it is reasonable for them to be showing the person's eye if he or she is looking at someone else. It does not make sense to me...
If people want to escape, then let them. So what if they plug into VR instead of getting stoned on their sofas? Why not both?
Really it comes down to the desires of each individual and I know many are ready to flock to the greener pastures of VR. Others will enjoy a physical world with people who are more engaged. Ultimately, if this brings down our carbon footprint and takes less of a toll on our planet, then it is likely a benefit for society as a whole, even if it means some people are leading completely fake lives they've constructed in a virtual setting.
At some point, it isn't their choice though, right? It is conditioned into them at birth, like a child fed junk food by parents growing up to be obese and having impulse control issues - is it their choice?
I get where you are coming from though and people have to take responsibility for their experience, but I also think that a lot of people won't actually have a choice in it. Cultural brainwashing.
Maybe it is just our perspective of growing up from the 80s and seeing humanity before and after social media and the world wide web. But I understand that younger generations are inherently drawn to the technology more often than not. I certainly struggled to keep their attention in Algebra class when they could sneak on their phones and talk thru snapchat on wifi.
With Meta, it seemed like they were doing everything to dominate and monopolize the 'metaverse' space, at least in the web2 frame. Apple coming into the scene, though expected for a long time, is still awesome to see because now competition will breed innovation and force collaboration and industry standards. Obviously, having more than 2 major players will be ideal and I look forward to seeing if any web3 based companies can compete but we may still be a couple of years away from that.
Decentralized web is the only way, not centralized, government-backed, corporations. This is going to end up a mess for most people, but they won't see it early enough to make a change.
Totally agree. What makes the current environment interesting is that many web3 projects are building a decentralized metaverse, but the hardware to tap into that is all coming from centralized web2 titans. As long as the decentralized web wins, these corporations will be forced to tap into them rather than have their own walled garden.
Wow... This opinion is so accurate! And there's so much you say that I had never thought of; but you're right, the correct way to call it is Virtual Fantasy.
According to everything you say, I'm glad I still don't feel 100% in control of this Metaverse or digital world, even though I spend hours in Hive, but it's the only space I really enjoy and feel is real. That's why I try to humbly contribute as much as I can.
I read your post and just really think of so many people with low self esteem and that for them it is convenient to live through screens and be the person they build themselves and decide to show to the world. At the moment for many it is clear that at the end of the day there is a real life to deal with, but for how much longer will this be?
We are already living the future of our childhood; even today there is more than I expected. Only the mentally strongest will be able to cope with all the physical, mental and economic control that is coming... Excellent publication brother! (Sorry for my basic English).