Every once in a while, new technology arrives to disrupt the status quo.
And while these moments are exciting, they bring new worries along with them too.
Facebook is leading the charge to the metaverse, but you shouldn’t get too excited yet.
As great as the metaverse sounds, it has several potential consequences to carefully consider.
A key element of the metaverse is mixed reality (MR).
If this happens, whoever controls the metaverse could control a significant portion of reality.
Here are some reasons why a Meta-led metaverse is something we should be worried about.
A Privacy Nightmare
Facebook’s poor privacy practiceshave always been a subject of concern.
One of the most high-profile examples was the Cambridge Analytica scandal of 2018.
Current MR devices are fitted with eye, face, hand, and body tracking tech.
Another Digital Addiction for Gen Z
Social media can be addictive, especially for young users.
It is already hurting people’s mental health.
As society gets more immersed in the digital world, it could become even more detached from the physical.
With its considerable user base, Meta is a major culprit in letting this happen.
Asanother Wall Street Journal reportshows, Meta wants these young users to stay hooked to maintain its revenue.
Meta is targeting young social media users in its campaign to win people over on a Meta-led metaverse.
Mark Zuckerberg has explicitly said the company’s key objective is attracting young adults to its platform.
A Dangerous Monopoly
Meta already enjoys a significantmonopoly over our social digital life.
It’s difficult to have a digital social presence without using any of Meta’s social media products.
The metaverse promises to be an all-encompassing next phase for the internet.
A Meta-dominated metaverse could also spell the death of independent innovation within the metaverse.
Meta’s business strategies are rooted in scaling and muscling out competitors.
Companies like Meta do not thrive in decentralization.
It will likely take a stab at replicate its existing closed-door ecosystemsones that it can controlin the metaverse.
Without a developed policing structure in place, a Meta-led metaverse is a worrying prospect.
This doesn’t mean you have to throw out your VR gaming devices right now, though.
There are still key differences to understand between VR and the metaverse.
