Web3: Strong & Weak Technology feat. Metaverse
The definitions of Strong and Weak can be applied very broadly across any spectrum. In Web3 when we discuss what is ‘Strong’, we refer to what is Resilient. Strong methods create markets and opportunities. Weak methods adapt to the market and create opportunities in a market-friendly way. The ‘Metaverse,’ which we will discuss in this article, coexists in reality in both of these forms. It’s important to note that Strong, a symbol of impact, doesn’t always mean success. For the Metaverse to truly decentralize the market in a Strong way, it requires the efforts of users, networks and platforms.
Your thumbs will learn — Strong & Weak Technology
The iPhone first appeared in an era where the current cellular phones had mechanical buttons. The iPhone was different. It emerged in the market in a Strong way and with a light touch approach. When a journalist commented that the iPhone was uncomfortable to use, Steve Jobs responded, ‘Your fingers will soon get used to it.’ If Apple had used a Weak approach, they would have launched a new product using the same type of buttons that were already ubiquitous across mobile devices. Apple, however, innovated using a strong approach to the market and completely removed them.
We’ll take a look at a few more examples of Strong technology. The public internet introduced protocols like HTTP and TCP/IP, and the early web pages created by Tim Berners-Lee were a new approach. Wikipedia, unlike encyclopedias based on knowledge, established rules first and then applied knowledge to these rules, and eventually Wikipedia became more widely used than paper encyclopedias. Music platforms like Spotify moved away from the Weak approach of storing music on personal devices and introduced real-time streaming instead of downloading. Tesla also did the same by launching revolutionary electric cars instead of hybrid cars. Most recently ChatGPT brought a trend called ‘prompting’, changing the world in the process. There are many examples of technologies that have succeeded in the market in a Strong way.
We must mention here, simply introducing technology to the world and saying ‘use it or not’ is not the kind of resilience or strong market approach we’re talking about. This can be understood by watching a 1995 video of Bill Gates explaining to David Letterman what the internet is. This demonstrates a key skill of innovators, and that is in successful communication. Even the blockchain technology we’re discussing now, and this article, are part of the communication process about Strong technology.
Metaverse and Virtual Reality, and Decentralization
The Metaverse is the same. It may seem like a completely Strong technology, but it consists of AR technologies that follow real-world rules and VR technologies that apply completely different rules. However, creating a true Metaverse is closer to a Strong approach.
A common perspective of a Metaverse is that where it exists, it’s a ‘closed platform’ (a virtual reality created by a specific company) where you explore the digital space with an avatar, but the core of the Metaverse lies in being open and seamless. For example, think about picking a pair of shoes you see in a nearby Nike store, only to realize that the shoe exists in an online store, not offline. The same experience will happen if you go from a Nike store to an Adidas store. It’s not about splitting reality and virtual, but about an open and seamless reality, which is a more true concept of the Metaverse. According to this concept, Slack, Notion, or Google Hangouts might be closer to what an actual Metaverse might look like.
The quality of being open naturally lends itself to decentralization. As in the shoe purchasing example above, the Metaverse allows users to choose products actively, crossing through different companies like Nike and Adidas (in this example). On the other hand, closed systems and environments naturally lead to centralization. For example in computer games — the rules of a game world apply only within that game’s universe. The Metaverse is not about users acting within the confines of a company or game server, but about users acting sovereignly with their own rights. Therefore, the Metaverse must inevitably be designed in a decentralized way.
There is a misconception here we need to address. As we explored in the last article, decentralization consists of three layers: Architectural, Political, and Logical. Just because a server is centralized does not mean a sufficiently decentralized Metaverse can’t exist within it. For example, the game Minecraft is clearly centralized in terms of servers, but players play in a decentralized way, across the world and across barriers. Companies have to remember that choosing which layer to address first in striving for decentralization in the Metaverse is a matter of choice.
When we give users more control in a decentralized way, we have to use encryption. We cannot make an open Metaverse just by putting terms of service on websites like we do with Web2. Imagine picking up a pair of Nike shoes online in the Metaverse and suddenly seeing a privacy agreement pop up — it doesn’t fit. In the Metaverse, everyone signs in with their own private key, which works everywhere, across borders, and not just in one country, domain or area, thereby establishing a universal operability.
What’s needed for the Metaverse to thrive?
Currently the Metaverse market can be perceived as slightly sluggish because it’s just creating a ‘virtual reality’; a closed platform from the maker’s perspective. It is true that it’s always difficult to break away from the existing Weak approach, as it is in any market (it’s always easier to follow what already exists and fit into a framework than to bring something new to table). In order to improve, perhaps a sort of server migration (not unlike what occurred with DeFi) needs to happen, but the hurdle is high and naturally there’s significant resistance. A change in platform, along with a change in users, is necessary, and users need to act sovereignly and proactively with their own items. A mindset of protecting and being responsible for one’s own things, and the effort to create an open Metaverse platform, must go hand in hand. The relationship between users, networks and platforms is the core of the Metaverse.
This task cannot be accomplished by any one individual or any one single company. As shown in the diagram below dividing Web3 companies into four quadrants, various roles are needed. Companies with tokens, companies without tokens, centralized companies and decentralized companies are all part of the effort towards Web3. As efforts are made from all sides to establish Web3 in society, we will eventually meet a truly open and inevitably decentralized Metaverse. I hope our readers and our community will also join in this effort.
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