KEY CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME FOR THE METAVERSE

The metaverse is unarguably the most rousing rave in the Web3 sphere. Nothing seems to be impossible in the metaverse; it will revolutionize how we work, play, and socialize. If the world is a small village, the metaverse makes it even smaller!

The metaverse is a cumulative of everything virtual, integrated by blockchain technology, ranging from the gaming cosmos, NFT galleries, curated and digital planes. The metaverse is an offshoot of the concept of decentralization which thrives on a collage of variety and contributions from different entities and is without control by any singular authority.

This is where the metaverse derails from secular online social platforms that are mostly centralized.

What Possible Challenges Could The Amazing Metaverse Have?

The metaverse appears to be blooming, but however numerous its benefits are, it is not without its challenges.

From a sociological and psychological standpoint, the advancement of technology has already wrought its damage as much as its benefits. There already is an emotional and social decline and attention span deficit in the world. Now having more advanced technology with the existence of the metaverse, how further will this decline be?

This is the new world order, and we must go with the rave. However, this is not the fault of the technology, but the users’ dependency on it, but this is a discussion for later.

Let’s look at some of these key challenges:

Gadget Cost

In the metaverse, to successfully traverse the functionality of this amazing innovation, there are key gadgets to be bought, and these gadgets do not come cheap.

First, high-speed and quality internet connectivity is required to traverse the metaverse.

High-speed internet connectivity is a cause for concern; statistics show that a little more than 40% of the world has never used the internet.

The cost of virtual reality and augmented reality gears are not the most affordable for most people, especially those in Third World countries where there already is a lack of stable internet, not to mention the unavailability of the necessary gadgets or purchasing power. What use then is innovation if it does not permeate all classes at a reasonable equilibrium point?

Privacy and Data security

Like in other centralized online social media platforms, the metaverse is not immune to the same issue of privacy. Users’ information and demographics are still not as secure, even in the metaverse. This could ultimately result in a data breach because beyond your emails, personal information, and passwords, the metaverse stores your behaviors too.

“…the metaverse would be able to track which song made me bob my head to the beat, whether and how I danced at the virtual show (the answer is awkward), and which avatars caught my eye.” — Tech Republic

Incredible as it sounds, this is a key challenge that must be overcome.

As much as the metaverse is an offshoot of decentralization, it still is, in some views, just an advancement of the already existing centralized platforms, just with a more techy feel and advancement. The same issues are still bound to persist. Unsolicited ads and user information generation, now, is only easier. Solving this particular challenge will require new security strategies.

Substituting The Synthetic Metaverse For The Real World

This is bound to happen and is already happening with the already existing social media platforms. What more will the metaverse bring? When people across geographical planes can almost feel themselves through this advancement, it is bound to be addictive and lead to an extreme decline in human relations.

Technology was made for humans and not the other way around, but this seems to be the case even with less advanced technologies. While the metaverse will in this case foster more interactions amongst humans, it could also bring about a dependency and humans will share a disdain for physical and actual interactions. It is as much a blessing as it could be a curse.

Lastly, the metaverse whilst having more benefit to humanity, without checks, could have far telling effects on our health.

Already, we are struggling with too much screen time as remote work is now commonplace, and virtual meetings are the order of the day. Eye defects and spinal dislocation and back aches would become prevalent.

With the metaverse operative, cancers can be more prevalent with the gadgets used to traverse the metaverse like handheld devices, sensors, and implants, also, personalized avatars could cause a decline in the fitness culture amongst people, since they are easily represented by some fantasy-led representation of themselves. This could cause a health decline.

The metaverse, albeit amazing and with endless possibilities, has its challenges and these are not absolutes. They could easily be worked on and embellished to bring about a great user experience for humanity. It is not all roses, it never is, but it mostly is.

Daniel Tamas is the CEO and co-founder of WAM app, the world’s first hyper-casual gaming platform and internationally validated play-to-earn social gaming platform, reaching 1st place in the Top Charts of the App Stores. He’s also an entrepreneur, investor and founder of various companies, but most importantly a Frenchie lover and a hot sauce enthusiast