Mark Zuckerberg and his minions want us to join the Metaverse – a place where we will all meet through virtual reality.
I experienced this in 2018 when I had the opportunity to row a kayak along the Avon, all while I was sitting in a chair. There was also an occasion when Air NZ celebrated a milestone by providing a virtual reality flying experience at the Canterbury Museum. Both of these were fun to do, but not quite the same as the real thing. Some distant friends have bought a virtual reality headset. They can sit on an exercycle and experience a virtual bike ride. This was useful during lockdown, but still not quite the same. They’ve experimented with Half-Life: Alyx, but the novelty soon wore off.
I believe you can meet up and interact with avatars in the Metaverse, but I can’t see how it could ever be a replacement for going outside and having actual social contact. An article in yesterday’s Press pointed out the dangers of harassment, racism, and porn. What do you think? I have wondered if online shopping might be the thin end of the Metaverse?
Having virtual experiences of art galleries, museums, etc, would be great for those unable to travel, but I’m not sure that’s what Zuckerberg has in mind. It seems he wants to shift our existence from the physical world to an immersive internet, and thereby have even more influence over us. I don’t want to go. do you?
I think I’m bound to get averse
to joining in the Metaverse.
Ruth's Reflections 
No matter how sophisticated the virtual world is, I reckon that it will always lack those micro-sensory experiences which the real world has, and which we are constantly picking up on, often without realising it. That’s why the virtual comes across as ‘flat’ to me. I don’t know if it’s different for men, which may be why they seem to take to the virtual world more readily.
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As a gross generalisation it may be that women are better at making real relationships, and therefore don’t need the virtual ones.
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Warning- sexually explicit content.
Absolutely agree that experience that is actual is of higher quality than virtual. Many of the inhabitants of virtual worlds are young children 7+ who have very little to offer an adult. Some of my IT students used online sex sites, and got excited by the thought of robotic dolls- I said, “What a shame you are not having experiences that are part of ongoing relationships!” Others used sexually explicit avatars with exaggerated organs- often masquerading as a woman predator. Sad world. Do you feel like having a real kayak ride down the Avon or out at Redcliffs, Ruth, with the sun, smell of the sea and river, and the breeze in your hair?
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A real ride is definitely preferable.
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The metaverse does not appeal at all. Creepy.
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Decidedly unappealing!
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