Ten reasons why a Facebook metaverse is a very bad idea
Entrepreneur magazine asked me for my opinion on Facebook’s plans to create a so-called metaverse, which according to the company would include everything from major investments and hiring thousands of people in Europe, to eventually changing the company’s name to reflect its focus in that area.
A few days ago, Entrepreneur published the article in Spanish (pdf) and English (pdf) which included my views on some of the problems we might see emerge in a Facebook metaverse.
One of the first books to explore the idea of a metaverse was in Neal Stephenson’s 1992 novel Snow Crash, in which the science-fiction author used the term to refer to a three-dimensional virtual world inhabited by avatars of real people with interactive capabilities. Since then, the idea has developed in various forms, from primitive Second Life type environments, to more modern games such as Fortnite or Roblox. When Facebook bought Oculus VR in 2014, it mentioned its interest in “creating the platform of tomorrow” and in “changing the way we work, play and communicate.” Recent announcements suggest it intends to move forward along similar lines.
In which case, what are the main problems with a hypothetical development and launch of a metaverse by a company like Facebook?
- Reputation: The Facebook of today…
