Society
the M E TAV E R S E by JOSH FORBES '23
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hink about how often you pick up your phone every day. A study conducted in 2019 showed that Americans pick up their phone 96 times a day.1 This is a 20 percent increase from a similar study done two years prior, and a 100 percent increase from 25 years prior, when the first smartphone was released for sale. In a span of just 25 years, a piece of technology went from something only to be dreamed of in science fiction novels to something that most people in a modern society cannot live without. The same can be said for both computers and the internet, both things that changed the lives of the modern citizen. A few months ago, Facebook announced that they would be changing the name of their parent company to Meta, and in doing so ignited a discussion on the metaverse. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, cites that the name change comes with a complete change in focus, and rather than focusing on social media, the company will now focus on “building the future of social connection.”1 So what exactly is the metaverse? What does Zuckerberg mean by social connection? Maybe he means it’s the future of social media. Maybe it’s the future of the entire internet? Or, considering the smartphone trend, could it really be the future of all socialization—interacting with friends, brokering business deals, participating in events? Nobody really knows what the metaverse is. The first misconception people have about the metaverse is that it is new. In reality, the phrase originated in a
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sci-fi novel called Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, published in 1992. In this story, the metaverse is a virtual world that is accessible to users through virtual reality headsets. Today virtual reality has been around for years as a gaming platform, with publishers such as Valve already having virtual reality headsets designed for home use, usually connected to a computer. However, Facebook entered the virtual reality scene a long time ago, acquiring the company Oculus, which created a completely wireless virtual reality experience. When you boot up your computer, from your desktop you can select a number of things to do. The Oculus Rift is similar, but instead of being confined to a mere desktop, when you put on the headset you are greeted by a virtual lounge, from which you can select your game of choice. This technology has been revolutionary. Games such as Virtual Reality Chat, an experience designed simply to chat with other headset users, have gained immense popularity and garnered a cult following within a few years. Furthermore, virtual reality gear isn’t nec-
