The Metaverse of Madness: At the end of July 2022, the creator of the Ethereum
cryptocurrency Vitalik Buterin wrote on Twitter that existing attempts to
create a metaverse are doomed to failure. Understanding the reasons for such
scepticism
What is the Metaverse
The Metaverse is a network of digital worlds that brings
together physical, augmented and virtual realities. It is also called the
"three-dimensional model of the Internet": a hybrid of a computer
game and a social network. Instead of photos, each user has their own 3D
avatar. Flat browser pages have replaced bulky interfaces. The Metaverse offers
users a virtual version of life: you can now study, go to concerts, get
married, buy real estate, and earn and spend cryptocurrency in the
"figure".
The idea of metauniverses was made popular by the head of the
Meta Platforms Corporation (the Tverskoy Court of Moscow recognized the company
as extremist and banned its activities) Mark Zuckerberg. In July 2021, he
announced the launch of his own online galaxy and announced the release of a
special Meta Quest 2 VR headset. Using the gadget, you can make eye contact
with other digital avatars and convey user emotions using facial expression
trackers. The device received generally positive reviews.
On October 11, 2022, Meta introduced a new VR helmet - Meta
Quest Pro. In it, the indicators of previous developments have been
significantly improved. However, according to techno-journalists, even in this
branded device, the metaverse seems artificial. The feeling of presence in the
real world does not appear, and the space around seems to be "curved and
blurred."
In 2021, Microsoft introduced the Mesh collaboration space. In
it, people in the format of their own holograms interact with digital objects
against the backdrop of the interiors of their homes. Google and Apple are
already developing their own Metaverses. Bloomberg predicts that the metaverse
market will grow to $800 billion by 2024.
Why Elon Musk and
Vitalik Buterin are against the metaverses
Businessman and head of SpaceX Elon Musk believes that the
existing metaverses have no examples of successful use. In an interview at the
end of 2021, he stated: “Surely you can stick a TV up your nose. I don't think
this can be called "penetrating the metaverse". I can't imagine how
someone will attach a screen to their face and walk around like that all day.
It's impossible".
Musk's position is consistent with statements that the current
metaverse is not a radically new product. Now, according to Western journalists,
it is "an overhyped and branded series of several virtual worlds, most of
which cannot be penetrated without VR glasses."
How to Avoid Fraud
and Cyberviolence in the Metaverse
Critics point out that a similar " virtual reality boom
" developed in the 1990s. Virtually created 3D arcade games with total
immersion. The players sat in special chairs and put devices similar to modern
VR helmets on their heads. The corporation promoted it as "an opportunity
to explore the open [virtual] world". However, a few years later,
Virtuality failed due to the fact that the technical implementation of
games did not meet the needs of users. According to experts, a similar fate may
await the Metaverses.
Billionaire and founder of the Ethereum cryptocurrency Vitalik
Buterin is sure that the Metaverse in its current form will not fully work. In
July 2022, he tweeted: "Some kind of Metaverse [or something like it]
will appear in the future, but I don't think that the current corporate attempts
to intentionally create such a space will lead to anything." He explained
his position as follows: “We do not yet really know what the Metaverse is. It's
too early to know what people want from her. Therefore, everything that
Facebook will create now (belongs to Meta Platforms, the Tverskoy Court of
Moscow recognized the company as extremist and banned its activities) will
misfire.
The real world is still better
Mark Zuckerberg promises to develop the Metaverse to such a
level that it will be possible to do everyday things in it: go shopping, order
food, play sports, communicate with friends and work. According to the creator
of Facebook, at future office meetings in the virtual space, you can literally
look around and see the avatars of your colleagues. Bloomberg journalists note
that such potential "looks like a nightmare." Two years of a pandemic
have shown the futility of a huge number of Zoom calls, and the Internet is full
of memes that many meetings could be replaced by a simple message in the messenger
or email. And for especially important meetings, there is an opportunity to see
each other in the real world. Accordingly, the Metaverse simply offers a
replacement for what already works great.
Nevertheless, although the prospects of Metaverse of Madness for trivial
tasks that are easily solved even without them do not seem bright, they still
have a future: though, rather, in the context of games.
