With fans of the technology excited for Meta‘s long-anticipated announcement of the Project Cambria VR headset in October, it seems like the company’s vision for the Metaverse is slowly getting closer. For some, however, it’s a futile exercise until a lot more concerns about the Metaverse are answered.
Tech enthusiasts took to Reddit to express some of their issues with the technology in its current form. From questions about data and privacy that have plagued Meta since they invested heavily in the technology to issues of practicality, these are their top concerns.
Ever since Facebook announced it was changing its branding to Meta in order to help it get to the forefront of this technology, critics and consumers alike have expressed concern that a company with a poor reputation in regards to data and privacy might be responsible for such a potentially immersive concept.
Redditor PointandStare stressed this point, calling it a “Massive data and privacy nightmare.” This claim isn’t unfounded, as Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen warned in an interview with AP that the company was again trying to use the technology to harvest data in an irresponsible way. Meta has repeatedly denied these claims but many don’t see any reason to trust the tech giant.
Most People Don’t Like Using VR For Long Periods
The development and improvement of VR technology are key to the Metaverse becoming viable for mainstream consumers and, whilst the Oculus has been steadily adding more to the experience, some think this is going to always be a problem.
Redditor a_pen_in_time comments they “can’t see it picking up” in the future, explaining that from their own experience, the “motion sickness or the disconnect of being in a visually different place than reality” means most people just don’t like using VR headsets for extended, uninterrupted periods. No matter how much neater or more comfortable headsets become, it might not solve that fundamental issue.
The Technology Isn’t There Yet
Though the Metaverse and VR have their fans, especially when it comes to modern VR gaming, it’s still arguably quite niche. Redditor a_curious_koala attributes this to the “clunky” nature of the technology in its current state and argues that the Metaverse will only “happen when the tech evolves.”
Whilst this also means that its rise to become mainstream is inevitable once technology rises to meet it and makes the whole experience less expensive and more convenient, this future may be some way off. This could be bad news for those hoping that the Metaverse will explode in popularity anytime soon.
People Are Already Exhausted From Online Communication
While the rise of Zoom and other tools for remote collaborative working and gaming during the pandemic has meant increased attention to the idea of the Metaverse, it also brings with it another potential concern. Redditor WVA1999 thinks that the idea of “walking around a virtual world all day” doesn’t have much appeal after the strains of the pandemic and lockdowns.
There’s some evidence to back this up, with Wall Street Journal reporting that the time adults in the U.S. spent online went up significantly during the pandemic. Arguably, this makes the Metaverse seem more feasible, as people already spend so much time online but, for some people, the last thing they want is another reason to spend more time immersed in the online world.
The potential of the Metaverse might be very real, but that doesn’t mean the current interest in it from big corporations necessarily comes from a sincere belief in the power of the technology. Redditor Moggy-Man is concerned that it’s largely being used as a marketing strategy at the moment, especially by Meta.
They call Meta a “marketing distraction” to try and put the company at the forefront of consumers’ minds again and say they “don’t believe it has any real true motivation beyond that.” Indeed, many have been unimpressed by Meta’s showcases so far, which seem to be more about trying to make their Metaverse seem marketable than actually exploring the technology’s potential.
People Might Not Want To Live In A Virtual World
One of the promises of the Metaverse is that consumers will be happy to live in a virtual reality world thanks to the limitless potential it offers compared to the real world. However, Redditor tehsheepdog thinks there might be a major issue with this that hasn’t been addressed by the technology’s proponents yet.
They say that the appeal of gaming and the online world is that they offer “a temporary escape from reality” and that this appeal disappears when the “game or world becomes reality.” In presenting the Metaverse as somewhere people will socialize, work, and live in, it loses that all-important escapist element and risks losing a lot of consumers.
Its Uses Will Be More Superficial Than People Are Saying
The Metaverse promises to change things like how everyone learns and works, and there are already some incredibly immersive VR games and experiences. But Redditor EvidenceBase2000 thinks that, when the Metaverse is really upon us, its uses will be a lot more superficial.
They envision it putting the focus a lot more on “image,” “social status,” and being full of explicit content when it does become more mainstream. Although there might not be a lot of evidence to suggest this yet, it’s true that the squeaky clean, friendly version of the Metaverse being marketed right now is unlikely to be an accurate portrayal of how it ends up being in reality.
One thing many people have pointed out about the Metaverse is that the concept of a virtual world that the user spends long periods immersed in is nothing new, at least to anyone who’s gotten into an extremely addictive video game before. Redditor mas901 points out that there’s an issue people might be overlooking here.
They relate the Metaverse to their experience with World of Warcraft and go as far as to say “I would often play it until I literally pass out unconscious” and the game “became my purpose of life.” For people who are at risk of becoming obsessively addicted, the Metaverse could provide an even more immersive version of this same idea.
Whilst it would be nice to imagine that the Metaverse becoming mainstream would be driven by those genuinely enthusiastic to bring an exciting new technology to consumers, some think the way it’s being presented now is all a little too familiar. One Redditor spells out the problem, saying “if the state of social media is any indication, [the Metaverse] will be completely driven by corporate interests.”
Whereas Meta’s presentation of a more immersive virtual environment might please investors, it’s reminiscent of current social media which is very obviously more interested in keeping the user endlessly scrolling and watching ads than actually providing an interesting experience. For some consumers, this overly corporate aspect doesn’t appeal much.
Though some continue to doubt that Mark Zuckerberg’s massive gamble in turning Facebook into Meta and investing everything into the future of the technology will pay off, it’s impossible to argue the company hasn’t managed to get itself a pretty big stake in the future of the Metaverse and that’s worrying for some.
Redditor junktech thinks the biggest concern with the Metaverse is Meta itself “and the guy managing it.” Like many, they feel that “money and power” have always been the primary aim of the company and dominance of the Metaverse “would only give them more control.” Of course, it remains to be seen if Meta’s gamble does pay off, but not everyone is eager about the future of the Metaverse if Mark Zuckerberg is the one leading the way.
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