The Metaverse: A Whole New World
History
On October 21, 2021, at a Conference entitled, “Connect 2021”, Mark Zuckerberg laid out his plan for the “successor for the mobile internet” — in his words, a type of augmented reality which encompasses “a set of interconnected digital spaces that lets you do things you can’t do in the physical world” (Tech at Meta, 2021). In his mind, this virtual successor to the world wide web is expected to increase our social presence online, making us feel more connected to one another, whilst simultaneously changing how we view and interact with the world as a whole by changing the way in which we work, how we undertake education, and even how we participate in our economy. In utilizing the various advancements in technology we have seen in recent years, he hopes to bring about this successor to the internet under the guise of a greater technology known as “the metaverse”.
But with all of that in mind, this type of ambition leaves a lot to the imagination as to how it will actually affect our society as a whole. What exactly will the metaverse do to our daily lives? How will it alter the way in which we consider human connection? And, most importantly, what are some of the ethical concerns that we should be aware of regarding the metaverse? These are all questions that we must ponder as we contemplate the metaverse and its capacity for transforming the world and how we perceive reality.
To begin to answer these questions, however, we need to examine the metaverse in greater context. In actuality, the concept of the metaverse is not new and, in addition, was not conceived by Mark Zuckerberg or Facebook (now Meta), for that matter. In fact, prior to Mark Zuckerberg’s talk at Connect 2021, even companies such as the kid’s video game platform Roblox had appropriated the idea of the metaverse and its potential to connect its diverse users (Fox, 2020). All in all, the metaverse can actually have its origins traced back to 1992 in a novel entitled, “Snow Crash”, written by Neal Stephenson. In this novel, Stephenson considered the metaverse as “a 3D virtual world where people exist as avatars and interact with software agents” (Nalbant & Uyanik, 2021), which is incredibly similar to how individuals tend to define it today.
It was not until 2003, though, until the idea of the Metaverse began to come to life, so to speak. This is because, in 2003, a game developed by Philip Rosedale and a team of software engineers was released to the public. This game dubbed, “Second Life” saw its users “exist as avatars” and live in a “virtual world” that allowed them to do whatever they pleased (so long as their actions abided by the terms and conditions of the game itself and the limitations of the game’s engine and programming) (Nalbant & Uyanik, 2021). At this point, the metaverse further expanded into a “reality” for its users. Yet, the metaverse only truly took off when it was combined with computer vision technologies of the twenty-first century. The concept of computer vision was, in turn, conceived of by a scientist named Larry Roberts, who first discussed the possibility of extracting 3D geometric information from 2D perspective views in his thesis, titled, “Machine Perception of Three-dimensional Solids” (Roberts, 1980). From this point onwards, other computer scientists and engineers, such as David Marr and Yiannis Aloimonos, expanded on Roberts’ findings, creating the algorithms necessary to process images from two-dimensional representations, as they are shown on computer screens, to three-dimensional models, laying the foundation for virtual reality (Nalbant & Uyanik, 2021).
Virtual reality (VR) as a technology was not all that popular at first. To explicate, it mostly saw limited use in the entertainment industry — specifically in video gaming, as can seen by Sega’s virtual reality arcade machines of the early 1990’s, and sports broadcasting, as demonstrated by Sportsvision’s attempt overlay real views of an NFL game with graphical yellow yard markers in 1998 (Marr, 2022). However, in an unforeseen turn of events, the entertainment industry later ended up being its biggest promoter, since it was eventually the video game market itself that saw its immense potential as a technology. In 2010, it was the case that the Oculus Rift Virtual Reality headset was introduced to the world, allowing video gamers to immerse themselves in their virtual worlds and fantasies, which, in turn, made the Oculus Rift a smashing success and virtual reality quite intriguing to computer scientists and average technology users alike (Marr, 2022). Ultimately, Facebook, as it was known at the time, acquired Oculus Rift for two billion dollars in 2014, bringing the company to its present state. Since then, other companies have tried to replicate the success of the Oculus Rift for games or other practical purposes, but, at the heart of their pursuit of technological advancement lies the metaverse.
At this point, in order to better understand the potential of the metaverse, it is necessary to outline how it actually works. At its core, the metaverse functions by using a few technologies that were developed prior to its conception. These technologies are based on the four concepts of the metaverse, as outlined by Dwivedi et al.: environment, interface, security and privacy, and interaction (2022). They are shown in the Dwivedi et al.’s diagram below:
Starting with the environment of the metaverse, which describes the exact visual representations of the metaverse that are perceived by a user, it is overall engendered by technologies that produce a real experience for them. In light of this, they involve complex algorithms that serve to produce sensations for the user (such as movement and hearing) and computer graphics to create three-dimensional images and models for the user to interact with. This then leads into the interface of the metaverse, which incorporates the hardware and devices that users utilize to immerse themselves in the metaverse as a whole, providing responses to their actions and cues for their senses. Thus, this includes virtual reality headsets, haptic feedback gloves, controllers, and even auditory technologies, like headphones, for instance. As such, the interface of the metaverse serves to facilitate the interactive component of the metaverse, which reflects changes in the metaverse in response to user input. Therefore, this component often utilizes technologies that involve artificial intelligence, so as to handle all the possible ways in which users can interact with their environments. In addition, it likewise will often involve networking and the larger internet so as to permit users to interact with each other remotely. Finally, the last piece of the metaverse involves a lesser-known, yet necessary security element. With that being said, this will associate the metaverse with encryption technologies, firewalls, antivirus software, and perhaps even biometric authentication in the future.
With all of this in mind, upon knowing the technology of the metaverse itself, it is likewise necessary to consider the larger architecture of how the metaverse works and how users utilize it. The diagram provided by Dwivedi et al. (2022) provides a general overview:
Here, it is shown that the metaverse can be accessed in a number of different ways. Though virtual reality is one of the more common and advantageous ways to interact with it, it can also be accessed via mobile devices or a computer (or sometimes even a combination of these devices with virtual reality). At this point, in some cases, though it is not always required, the user can subsequently log into the metaverse via whatever software is required by it in order to run it, accessing a metaverse server in the process using their internet connection. Once they are effectively “in the metaverse” in this way, this server will then handle much of the networking and packet switching involved with interacting with the metaverse in real-time, such that the user’s experience is seamless. However, this is also where security becomes necessary within the metaverse. If a user is indeed communicating with a remote metaverse server over the internet, their messages are ultimately exposed to malicious agents, like hackers or attackers. Typically, though, this is handled by the facilitator of any given metaverse, which is often the company that owns the servers for it. As such, with companies and software engineers and programmers handling the intensive, technical aspects of a metaverse, accessing and utilizing it, overall, usually remains relatively simple for the users who wish to do so.
Diffusion
This, as a result, helps to explain why the metaverse has seen the growth that it has in the past few decades. According to Precedence Research, even in just the past two years, the metaverse market size has nearly doubled from fifty to one hundred billion dollars and is projected to surpass a trillion dollars by 2030 if this rate continues (2023). One can see this via the following chart, which was likewise provided by Precedence Research:
However, this is not the only reason why the metaverse is expected to become so prominent within the economy in the next decade. Much of this can be attributed to the idea that there exist rising demands for the metaverse in the entertainment industry, as well as the medical industry, due to the fact that, as a result of modern technologies, there are increasing uses for metaverse platforms as a whole (Precedence Research, 2023). Additionally, in more recent context, it may be the case that demand for the metaverse is seeing an exponential growth rate since the COVID-19 pandemic has lessened in severity. Surprisingly, the pandemic itself actually led to a general decrease in market interest with regard to the metaverse, as, most notably, virtual reality manufacturers faced extensive economic and operational challenges during this time which prevented the metaverse from reaching as many people as it may have otherwise (MetaverseandMarkets, 2023). Although, it should be noted that, some companies did indeed take advantage of the remoteness of the pandemic to invest more in their metaverse technologies and capabilities (Sami et al., 2023).
In addition to how much the metaverse has seen increased interest due to its economic potential, the metaverse has also seen increased attention from scientists and scholars alike as a result of its technical promise. This increased intrigue is demonstrated graphically by Sami et al. (2023):
As can be seen, the metaverse has seen intense academic interest in the past decade and especially the past few years relative to when it first started becoming marketed to the public. Research on the subject has expanded and academic conferences that concern the metaverse have become more common overall (Sami et al., 2023) Moreover, the metaverse has even seen increased interest from the general public as well, with online searches involving metaverse rising during the COVID-19 pandemic, as demonstrated by the findings of Park et al. (2022). All of this may, in turn, be a result of the fact that enabling technologies that serve to assist the development and immersive aims of the metaverse, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, network infrastructure, three-dimensional reconstruction, and extended reality, also have seen increased interest and advancement in recent years (Sami et al., 2023).
All of this serves to affirm the idea that the metaverse is becoming an increasingly relevant technology around the world. As mentioned previously, with market demand of the technology increasing at an exponential rate, advancement of the technology itself seeing enormous boosts and interest, and the general public viewing it a useful and valuable commodity, it is likely the case that the metaverse will become one of the most impactful technologies of the twenty-first century. This is especially probable considering how the metaverse is expected to influence a number of aspects of daily life, including the education sector, the entertainment industry, work, online gaming, travel and tourism market, and even the healthcare field (Sami et al., 2023). As such, with the possible effects and immense scope of the metaverse in mind and as given by the summarizing diagram provided by Emergen Research below (2023), it becomes crucial to carefully examine how it may be realized in the future.
Societal Effects
To accurately engage in a discussion around the Metaverse’s impact on society, it is essential to utilize Marshall McLuhan’s theoretical model: the tetrad. The tetrad asks four questions: What does the technology enlarge or enhance? What does the technology erode or obsolesce? What does the technology retrieve or recover that was once lost or transitioned to the ground? Moreover, how does technology create new societal problems when pushed to its limits? The tetrad model and media richness theory are critical tools to support projections on how the Metaverse will impact society.
Enhancement
The Metaverse unlocks exciting potential by enhancing the perceived presence of digital selves in social and work environments. Companies like Facebook aim to build a seamless augmented reality between virtual and physical. By blurring the lines between what is considered digital, tech companies can equip organizations with tools that enhance each team member’s presence in office settings. Last year Mark Zuckerberg said in a CNET YouTube video titled Everything Facebook Revealed about the Metaverse in 11 Minutes, “Over the last year and a half, a lot of us who work in offices have gone remote, and while I miss seeing the people I work with I think remote work is here to stay for many people” (Zuckerberg, 2021). Many people resonate with Zuckerberg. Firms and corporations utilize tools like voice-over IP to maximize collaboration. The Metaverse enhances our visual and spatial awareness through holograms and sensors which map the space around us. AR glasses will allow us to overlay virtual elements on physical reality. For example, it allows us to view virtual “monitors,” which can be used to edit documents saved on a computer while looking at real objects on a table, like a notepad, to take notes. The remote work versatility reduces office commutes, enhancing time spent on other things.
In addition to the work environment, we can build virtual homes to invite friends in the form of their avatars inside. Project Cambria is a high-end VR/AR headset by Facebook that uses sensors to reflect emotions on an avatar accurately. These sensors help to enhance the presence we feel with other people in virtual spaces.
Obsolescence
The Metaverse will erode the former significance of screen-based technologies like smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, laptops, and televisions. Physical screens dominate our work, school, social, and entertainment environments. One of the ways we can see entertainment moving toward the Metaverse is through the virtual Travis Scott Fortnite concert. Moore’s law states that the number of transistors on computer chips will double approximately every 18 months. Our interaction with digital screens will soon obsolesce. Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games, developed Fortnite, was asked if he viewed Fortnite as a game of a platform and articulated these fast-paced technological changes. He responded, “Fortnite is a game. But please ask that question again in 12 months” (Sweeney, 2020). Upcoming platforms are making virtual entertainment more accessible and preferable to in-person entertainment. Soon we will see the Metaverse make two-dimensional screen entertainment obsolete.
Many firms use Microsoft Teams to communicate with staff members, who may even be a couple of cubicles over. During busy seasons, a quick message over Teams saying, “Could you please upload that work paper?” as opposed to walking over to a co-worker’s desk to find out that they are busy on a call or calling them only for them not to answer. The Metaverse would make instant messaging software visible through AR glasses on virtual two-dimension “screens.” Additionally, businesses can collect higher volumes of data and more significant data from VR/AR headsets than screens. Companies like Facebook and Meta can use headsets to measure eye movements which can give more significant attention insights than screentime alone. When these Metaverse companies share our eye measurement movements with companies to help them “target users with ads and influence them to buy product” (Dwivedi, 2022). It is safe to assume that Metaverse companies will sell our data if the software applications they offer are free because “if you aren’t paying for the product, you are the product” (Harris, 2020).
Retrieval
As mentioned earlier, the Metaverse retrieves a sense of visual and spacial awareness previously grounded with traditional screen technology. Using the Metaverse in the workplace will bring back the ability to see where people are moving about the virtual office space. Previously limited by voices and two-dimensional screens alone, the metaverse retrieves the three-dimensional aspect of social interaction. The asynchronous aspects of technology often create an increased sense of loneliness. However, the Metaverse is versatile, allowing us to switch between networks and virtual 3D spaces. Within social and work environments, the line between when to meet physically and virtually will become more difficult to staddle, “The challenge will be in finding a balance between these two extremes that allows for fast adoption of digital technology in the workplace while also respecting the integrity of employees” (Ericsson, 2020).
The Metaverse will also retrieve the sense of presence and spacial awareness for those desiring to connect across long distances. Currently, it is difficult for software developers to create “more detailed features such as minute facial expressions and targeted gaze” on avatars (Lilibridge, 2022). The Metaverse, at its fullest, could make it easier for grandparents to connect with their grandchildren over a distance. Young children cannot recognize the two-dimensional screens as reality and thus cannot connect with adults through video chat. Retrieving the three-dimensional element once eroded by two-dimensional digital screens may allow children to perceive adults not physically present as real through the avatars they represent.
Reversal
The Metaverse pushed to its limits, will reverse our sense of touch. It is difficult for VR software developers to engineer what the human hand can do. Facebook Meta’s Presence Platform is designed using principles to immerse users in a mixed-reality experience. A Presence Platform developer said, “The human hand is an engineering marvel, and bringing hands into vr was no easy feat. It required a lot of collaboration against product design research, but we continue to improve that product finding new ways to navigate with gestures and interact with VR” (CNET, 2021). We are far from developing a sensation the human hand can provide. Being touched by another person lowers one’s heart rate, blood pressure, depression, and anxiety while boosting the immune system and relieving pain (Holland, 2018). Depression and anxiety rates increased when social media entered the digital media market. A contributing factor is a decreased amount of touch between friends and family. Suppose the Metaverse becomes a prominent part of our social and work environments. In that case, we will miss the subtle yet essential touches on the shoulder, pats on the back, and hugs after a long time away that contribute to physical and mental wellness.
The Media Richness Theory articulates that “media varies in the amount of information it can convey” (Smith, 2023). While traditional screen-based media technologies have made communication and consuming entertainment more accessible, they usually only engage one or two senses providing us with very little information during an interaction. The Metaverse, at its potential, will provide richer synchronous interaction. Technological innovations in sensors used in VR glasses will pick up on facial expressions providing more social cues and media richness than phone calls. On the spectrum of media richness, depending on the quality of the avatars, the Metaverse lies right around a video call because it gives “face-to-face” interaction. However, it lacks the physical presence and touch social cues that real in-person communication provides.
In conclusion, the implementation of Marshall McLuhan’s tetrad helped determine that the Metaverse enhances the perception of presence through digital media, obsolesces traditional two-dimensional digital screens, retrieves a sense of visual and spacial awareness, and reverses physical touch, and uses the media richness theory to plot the Metaverse right around video chats given their three-dimensional aspects, but the less-than-human appearance of avatars to explain how the Metaverse will impact society.
Institutional Impacts
Education
As previously discussed, the metaverse is a “post-reality universe” which merges “physical reality with digital reality” (Mystakidis, 2022, p. 486). It synthesizes both virtual and augmented reality technologies in order to create a parallel, multi-user experience. The power that this technology holds is significant and must be discussed in light of its social, political, and economic effects. One significant institutional locus in which the metaverse may offer some unique benefits and barriers is the education system. According to Mystakidis (2022),
New models of Meta-education, Metaverse-powered online distance education, can emerge to allow rich, hybrid formal and informal learning experiences in online 3D virtual campuses. Online learning in the Metaverse will be able to break the final frontier of social connection and informal learning. Physical presence in a classroom will cease to be a privileged educational experience. (p. 493)
Implementing Metaverse technology into the classroom would allow students to participate in potentially more full, more experiential learning. There would be opportunities for more active learning as well as more resources for teachers to approach education in the ways that best fit each student’s style of learning. As Crespo-Pereira et al. (2023) explore, the metaverse is being used in education to “gamify” learning. Many kids may struggle to listen to lectures or have different learning needs. The metaverse may equip teachers to approach students who learn better through more active, game-like methods. The active and engaging nature of the metaverse is also helping kids with neurological differences, such as autism, to learn in ways that suit them best. The nation of South Korea has already been implementing the Metaverse into the way that their education system functions in their nation. According to Crespo-Pereira et al. (2023), the country incorporates Metaverse technology into their educational policies for primary and secondary students as well as adults pursuing higher education. In South Korea, the metaverse has been used to equip and train surgical students to become doctors (Crespo-Pereira, 2023). In the United States, nursing students are increasingly exposed to virtual and augmented reality technology including the metaverse. Author and nursing teacher Karen Frith (2022) says, “In nursing education, we use these same technologies [virtual and augmented reality technology], along with specialized ones such as virtual clinical simulations and high-fidelity simulations in laboratory settings, to develop students’ clinical or diagnostic reasoning” (p.384). Frith predicts that nursing students will one day be in the Metaverse while doing nursing laboratories and clinical experiences.
It is clear that the Metaverse is having and will continue to have an enormous impact on our education systems.Whether the Metaverse is directed toward younger students or adults pursuing higher education, it will provide opportunities for hands-on learning and offer a convenience that in-person learning may not ever be able to.
The Church
A second institution that may be directly impacted and changed by the Metaverse is the Church. It is difficult to separate the presence of technology from religious institutions. For example, the Church was dramatically affected by the invention of the printing press in the mid-1400s. Scripture was being printed at increasingly faster rates which soon enabled larger numbers of Christians, including laypersons, to be able access the Bible. In contemporary terms, technology’s presence in most churches cannot be avoided. From electric instruments, to lyrics posted on screens, to smoke-screens and flashing lights, technology plays a dominant role in the Sunday morning experience.
With the advent of the Metaverse an important question is raised: how far is too far when it comes to technology in the Church? Can the church live in virtual reality? Guichun Jun (2020) discusses how virtual reality churches who engage Metaverse technology are already starting to develop. For example, Jun (2020) describes VR Church (vrchurch.org) who’s members prefer to gather together in the Metaverse. Religious institutions such as VR Church believe that the benefits of meeting in the Metaverse include creating inclusive spaces for all people to hear the gospel, inviting people from all over into fellowship communities, and providing their members with VR experiences that make the Bible come alive (p. 299). With 97% of virtual-reality users being non-believers, it is clear that the Metaverse is a new and important mission field (Jun, 2020, p. 303). The question is– how do we create spaces of discipleship and life-giving community in virtual reality? Jun (2020) argues that it is important that traditional in-person churches must assist and connect with VR churches so that people can be reached via online and virtual platforms while maintaining opportunities for physical interaction so that discipleship and fellowship can occur (p. 303).
It is clear that just as it has in the past, technology will continue to impact the way that the Church as a whole functions in the world. Therefore, it is crucial that we adapt to technologies such as the Metaverse in a way that still maintains scriptural integrity and includes spaces for in-person community.
Forecasted Effects
Benefits
In order to discuss both the affordances and consequences of Metaverse technology it is important to remember that the Metaverse will inevitably continue to grow and shape the way that our society and institutions flow and function. Therefore, it is crucial that we learn how to think and act critically in light of the Metaverse’s increasing prominence in our world. There are many benefits and potential consequences to the expansion of Metaverse technology. As aforementioned, the Metaverse will enhance the way that people communicate and interact. Friends will be able to spend time together in the Metaverse, doing activities that may not be possible in the physical realm. Students will have more extensive access to different learning opportunities and experiences. Field-trips and extracurricular activities will exist in a new realm of possibilities. Medical workers, firefighters, law enforcement, and other technical professionals will be able to have hands-on virtual experiences in the Metaverse for their training. Even the Church may exist in the Metaverse. People from all backgrounds and experiences will be able to hear the same message, meet in virtual small groups, and participate in Bible stories played out right in front of them. Furthermore, as Paquin et al. (2023) discuss, people with ailing mental health may be able to better their social connectedness by having and maintaining virtual friendships and increase their self-determination and self-esteem as they complete tasks and activities (p. 4). The connections and opportunities offered by the Metaverse are seemingly unlimited. However, the potential consequences are equally as daunting.
Figure 1: This diagram illustrates how the metaverse’s impact on mental health, social function, and physical activity can vary for different people (Paquin et al., 2023).
Consequences
The Metaverse may have negative effects on mental health and social-behavior. Paquin et al. (2023) argue that the “repetitive rewarding experiences may lead to addiction-like behaviors, and high engagement in virtual worlds may facilitate and perpetuate the avoidance of challenges in the offline environment” (p. 1). They also discuss how extended periods of time spent in the Metaverse or VR technology may result in disturbed sleep patterns and offer a detriment to one’s physical world relationships (Paquin et al., 2023, 1).
Furthermore, because part of the nature of the Metaverse is to offer rewards for accomplishing tasks, experiencing virtual worlds can lead to addiction-like behaviors (Paquin et al., 2023, p. 4). This would further prevent individuals from experiencing life in the physical-world and increase temptation to stay in virtual reality. This issue illustrates the major dichotomy that’s at hand in the metaverse: the Metaverse offers people an opportunity to leave the physical world and live and function in a different universe.
Tetrad Connection
As previously discussed, the tetrad of media is helpful in understanding the implications of Metaverse technology. For example, it is clear that there are certain affordances, challenges, technologies, and principles that make up the Metaverse and its effects on people and society.
First, the Metaverse is clearly illustrating technological advances in virtual and augmented realities. When these are synthesized, the Metaverse is able to sustain a reality which expands over space and time. These virtual spaces are becoming increasingly more complex especially as users create avatars to embody these spaces.
In studying the tetrad, it is clear that the Metaverse will also soon make certain technologies, such as 2D screens, obsolete. The absence of 2D screens would mean a complete delve into the world of virtual and augmented realities, eventually leaving the 2D hand-held devices we have now in the past.
The Metaverse also requires the retrieval of visual and spatial technologies. Moving technology into a 3D experience and environment may mold the Metaverse into a more accessible and life-like arena. As opposed to 2D screens and devices, which require the individual to control, the Metaverse will create a more experiential space for the user to participate in.
Finally, the Metaverse may also reverse which of the human senses are most dominant in function and experience. Currently, within the realm of 2D devices, touch is crucial. Users tap, type, and scroll in order for their devices to work. However, in the realm of the metaverse, physical touch will become less and less important. Instead, people will revert to the senses such as sight and hearing and they will become the more dominant way of experiencing the virtual world.
Conclusion
The metaverse is incredibly tempting because it appears shinier and nicer than the world we live in. There is access to a variety of experiences, people, and opportunities to invest more into one’s Metaverse life. While some of these tools may be helpful for certain individuals and groups, it is crucial to remember that the Metaverse is not and cannot be mankind’s true home. This idea is clearly evident in scripture. Psalm 22:28 (NRSV) says, “for dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.” Here, the Psalmist is declaring that God has authority over creation and all that dwells on the earth. He is the true and good creator with all authority and power and the universe that God created includes the Metaverse, a man-made universe. In Genesis 1:26–30, God gave mankind dominion over His world. In order to bear that responsibility, we must, as believers, remember that the Metaverse is not our home. Instead, it is a tool that people have created and we must honor God by the way that we use and interact in it.
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