The Metaverse Reminds me of WALL-E and Not in a Good Way
Photo by Haley Bordelon
Ever since Facebook became Meta, I have been hearing a lot about the metaverse. To be honest, when I originally heard about it, I wasn’t that concerned, but as I’ve heard more and more people talking about it, I’ve also heard more and more concerns. So, I decided to look more into Meta, the metaverse, and what it means for us as a society.
What in the Multiverse is a Metaverse?
The metaverse is a virtual universe that doesn’t exist yet. Meta and many others think it’s the next big thing in technology. Meta envisions a future with everyone wearing eyeglasses that are still stylish but packed with as much, if not more, technology as the clunky VR headsets of today. These eyeglasses along with other technology such as wrist sensors will allow people to enter the metaverse. It sounds pretty interesting, but after watching Mark Zuckerberg’s opening keynote speech for Facebook’s Connect 2021, I have a couple of concerns.
Present in the Metaverse
Zuckerberg really emphasized that we will all feel present in the metaverse which I think is really ironic because we already know that when we're present in technology, we're less present in real life.
He also said that Meta doesn't want people to spend more time on screens. He says, "It's about making the time that we already spend [on screens] better." He's either lying through his teeth, or he has a very optimistic take on how people interact with technology. With their vision of the metaverse, it seems almost impossible to not spend the majority of one’s time using technology. Constantly wearing technology in the form of glasses or sensors on our wrists can only increase our usage.
A Whole New World
I’m really concerned that people will start to view the metaverse as another Earth. Climate change and all of its many repercussions are real. If people view the metaverse as a new world, then they might ignore the actual, real planet that we live on. Climate change is an emergency that we can choose to treat as one or ignore. Although I am guilty of not being as sustainable as I could be, I think it is significantly more dangerous if we as a society are less aware of our environment.
WALL-E
Photo by Getty Images
I’ve heard several people express their concern that the metaverse is just another step in the direction of WALL-E. While I think we’re far from becoming people who are completely dependent on technology, I don’t think the jump from the metaverse to WALL-E is wrong at all. WALL-E was made in 2008 and continues to hold relevance today. The technology that the people use in WALL-E doesn’t seem that much different from the metaverse’s. In the movie, people connect through holographic screens. They have a small control panel that they type on which is a more basic wrist sensor. In addition, people use voice commands for things like calling robots with beverages.
The Real Mission
Meta is launching the metaverse and assuming that everyone worldwide will be able to contribute to and participate in it. There are people who still don’t have access to clean drinking water let alone the internet. Meta has so much influence and money; if they focused on getting everyone the basics before going into whatever they have deemed that moment’s “next big thing,” then our society would probably be better connected which is, after all, their mission: “Give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together."
Takeaways
I feel like for most of this article I was pulling an “Old Man Yells at Cloud.” Even though I seem a bit melodramatic about the metaverse, I can acknowledge the benefits of it. Would I like to see people as if they are in real life as opposed to on Zoom? Yes, I would. Do I find the idea of creating a virtual space like the Sims but in real life cool and wondrous? Yes, it’s kind of hard not to come up with little ideas and concepts. At the same time, I think it’s important to pay attention to the potential risks that we as a society would face if we went headfirst into the metaverse.
