The metaverse is in the zeitgeist these days due to Facebook’s sudden name change and apparent new focus. The tech giant’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg now calls his employees “metamates” and envisions a future in which we’re all in the metaverse.
But what is the metaverse, really? Will humans truly be living parts of their lives in a virtual reality space? Will the metaverse grow to encompass every part of our lives, such as shopping, work, education and the social sphere?
Cal State Fullerton Information Systems Professor Ofir Turel describes the metaverse as an envisioned virtual space that is much more immersive than today’s internet.
Among CSUF’s most prolific researchers, Turel’s studies on topics, such as the addictive use of technology, have been cited in numerous media outlets and academic journals.
To better understand the potential benefits and drawbacks of the metaverse, we asked Turel for his expert opinion:
We hear a lot about the metaverse, but definitions vary. How would you define the metaverse?
I would describe it as a new, more immersive experience on the internet that goes beyond just reading, writing, typing text and sending images. You will be more immersed in the environment through different technologies.
We already have some aspects of the metaverse in place. We have virtual reality games. We have some ability to be present online through video conferencing. Many aspects of our work and social life have moved to online platforms.
We’re not yet ready technologically to have the full metaverse as described by Mark Zuckerberg. To get there, picture a VR headset embedded in glasses or a lightweight headset that can seamlessly combine online and offline activities.
The metaverse is a vision. Some elements are already there, but we have a way to go.
Will the metaverse be all about Zuckerberg and his company?
The fact that Zuckerberg changed his company’s name to Meta, signaling to the world that they are taking over the metaverse, indicates to me that they want to be the major player and owners of this new virtual world.
Similar to how today there are many e-commerce websites, but Amazon is dominating the market in this area. Even the big retailers, such as Walmart, lag behind significantly.
Of course, other companies would try to get into the space, but with giants, including Facebook, investing large amounts in technology and experience on the metaverse, they are trying to be dominant. But for sure, there will be many other companies in the metaverse, too.
Perhaps there will be a platform where companies would have access to set up an office or a shop where people could buy things online. And it won’t necessarily be all about the platform provider, which might help set up the space to help businesses do this.
We will see strategic maneuvers similar to what exists in the offline world. Companies will create barriers to entry to try to prevent competition. There will be companies that will try to control the market.
Why are companies so intent on infiltrating the metaverse?
The metaverse is the best-ever marketing platform that anyone could think of. For two reasons. Ad revenue is the big one, which is why Facebook wants to be involved.
Right now, if I’m selling ads, it will appear on the Facebook page and be pretty obvious. In the metaverse, it could be subtle. Imagine posters of Coca-Cola in a room. Or having a billboard with ads while I’m walking in a corridor. Imagine going to a meeting in the metaverse, and someone opens a fridge filled with bottles of Coca-Cola.
But also think about the data that can be collected on you and anyone else interacting in the metaverse.
It goes beyond just what pictures you like or who you are friends with. You would have a record of full daily interactions with keywords you’re saying, hand movements, what you’re looking at in a store. There’s just so much more information that would make it a tremendous resource for anyone trying to sell targeted ads.
Imagine wearing a headset walking through a virtual store looking at products. You could measure pupil dilation and other things that could tell marketers about interest, concentration and excitement. You don’t have this information when browsing a website.
You’ve done extensive research on the addictive use of technology, a concern only heightened in a potential metaverse. What would tech addiction look like in such a future?
A lot of the addictive applications we have today, such as online gambling or online auctions or video games, can become more potent in their addictiveness on the metaverse. This is because the metaverse provides so many more opportunities to make the experience more realistic and rewarding. If people have challenges controlling their usage in today’s environments, imagine how much more difficult it would be when engaging in a much more realistic format.
Think of how current gambling sites are pretty boring. Imagine going to a virtual reality set that feels like a real casino. Sitting at a table and having all the senses making you feel like you’re really in Las Vegas.
Will we all eventually be on the metaverse? Or will there be opportunity for choice?
Human needs for freedom should dictate that it will be a choice, but I have some reservations about this answer. It’s going to be a choice in your social life because there will always be other ways to meet and communicate, and people might want to see each other face-to-face.
My reservation has more to do with workplaces. You could think about a company that has offices in New York City and doesn’t want you to relocate but you need to be present for meetings, so you will have to accept the use of metaverse if this is how they will operationalize their work procedures.
Right now, everything is a bit unrealistic with avatars, but we could get to a point where your presence in the metaverse will look more like you in reality. You won’t just move yourself by clicking a mouse but you will be able to move like a real person.
Will marketers exploit the metaverse?
Think about all the information that marketers can collect on you if you spend one day in a virtual environment!
What you look at, what you eat, who you speak with, the tone you use. All this information that does not exist in typical platforms today would exist then. And it could be related to a particular person. This allows for very accurate targeted marketing.
People will consent to participate in the metaverse but they won’t read a 600-page disclaimer that will outline what information will be collected on them.
Someone will collect this data and may sell it to third parties. This can easily be abused. There are many issues of privacy and security in this domain, and there is research potential in these areas.
You keep emphasizing we’re not there yet in realizing the metaverse vision. When is this going to become reality?
The real potential is combining the metaverse with the real world, so people can be in the real office but look at the virtual office on the other side. This is not possible with current devices, which either allow you to be in the virtual world or the real world.
It’s a matter of a decade or two before we’d have much better technologies to do these things.
Will the timeline pick up? I don’t know. But we need to think about this new reality and anticipate it so we’re not caught off guard 20 years from now.
There could be very serious downstream consequences about being fully immersed and connected online, from obesity due to sedentary lifestyles to disrupted sleep patterns from being connected to the metaverse at 10 p.m. Of course, right now the companies are ignoring that and then it will be too late. But maybe it won’t happen in our generation.
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