5 ms·

I think metaverse is just a fancy name for communicating with people online supported by technology (both present technology, future technology and meatspace co

by Closi 5y ago

I think metaverse is just a fancy name for communicating with people online supported by technology (both present technology, future technology and meatspace communications supported by technology). It’s clear from Facebook’s presentations for instance that they consider text messaging via WhatsApp to class as part of the metaverse. It’s not anything new, but I think the metaverse strategy is basically Facebook saying “we want to own all communications, and push the boundaries of what owning communications even means”. That’s my take anyway, but I have found most people are focused on the VR aspect and have missed the more scary all-encompassing and broader definition.

kibwen 5y ago
I would classify it as slightly more than communication; a metaverse also has to give you some way to "inhabit" it. We're communicating on HN, but HN doesn't really have a way to inhabit it, so I wouldn't call HN a metaverse.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- jacquesm 5y ago
  Every registered user is an inhabitant, every passerby an observing alien that might convert into an inhabitant at some point.
whoisthemachine 5y ago
This was my understanding as well. In many ways, it feels like the "metaverse" is already here and has been for a while, it's mostly Facebook and their ancillary apps + Twitter for me.
elcano 5y ago
Yeah. We still need to see how Facebook/Meta wants to materialize this. Maybe they want to break the boundaries between your real self (as you consume apps like WhatsApp and Instagram), your social profile (true self in virtual world like the closed garden in Facebook) and the avatar in a world like Second Life. This would be a gold mine, because they already can target ads to you in the real world, so they could do it there too. Doing it were the people use fake avatars is not so easy. So think that every user is an inhabitant, a citizen, a potential buyer in the virtual and the real world, but also a potential business owner in the virtual world. Business owners will be tax payers that must pay fees to operate on this city-state that will have internal laws that except for few cases (at most) will not be subject to government laws and constitutional protection, and if you are difficult or problematic the authority will be able to expatriate you without prior notice, regardless of time or money invested in the platform. Maybe, at most, they could offer arbitration with a company that knows that if they don't favor Meta the contract will not be renewed. So yeah. It is a good idea, if they can pull it.

by Closi 5y ago

kibwen 5y ago

I would classify it as slightly more than communication; a metaverse also has to give you some way to "inhabit" it. We're communicating on HN, but HN doesn't really have a way to inhabit it, so I wouldn't call HN a metaverse.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
jacquesm 5y ago
Every registered user is an inhabitant, every passerby an observing alien that might convert into an inhabitant at some point.

whoisthemachine 5y ago

This was my understanding as well. In many ways, it feels like the "metaverse" is already here and has been for a while, it's mostly Facebook and their ancillary apps + Twitter for me.

elcano 5y ago

Yeah. We still need to see how Facebook/Meta wants to materialize this. Maybe they want to break the boundaries between your real self (as you consume apps like WhatsApp and Instagram), your social profile (true self in virtual world like the closed garden in Facebook) and the avatar in a world like Second Life. This would be a gold mine, because they already can target ads to you in the real world, so they could do it there too. Doing it were the people use fake avatars is not so easy. So think that every user is an inhabitant, a citizen, a potential buyer in the virtual and the real world, but also a potential business owner in the virtual world. Business owners will be tax payers that must pay fees to operate on this city-state that will have internal laws that except for few cases (at most) will not be subject to government laws and constitutional protection, and if you are difficult or problematic the authority will be able to expatriate you without prior notice, regardless of time or money invested in the platform. Maybe, at most, they could offer arbitration with a company that knows that if they don't favor Meta the contract will not be renewed. So yeah. It is a good idea, if they can pull it.