Is the metaverse humanity's future?
Would you like to live in “a richly animated, lifelike 3-D simulation”? Imagine living a virtual reality world where you can have your avatar play video games, shop, hang out with friends, attend concerts and weddings and even travel the world — all without leaving your home.
Or imagine walking down the street and checking the latest sports scores from a digital display that floats in front of you. Or sitting in class with students who are right next to you — and others who are not. These are just a few of the scenarios envisioned in a future metaverse, a fully realized digital world that exists beyond the one in which we live. Do you find the idea intriguing? Exciting? Scary? Are you looking forward to a future when we are always hooked into a virtual world? Or do you fear it will be a dystopian nightmare? How excited are you about the metaverse? Are you looking forward to a time when you can be hooked into a digital world 24 hours a day? Is the prospect of a fully virtual life more compelling than our current physical and material one? In your opinion, will the metaverse become a digital utopia — or dystopian nightmare? While there’s no single definition or agreed-upon vision of the metaverse, if it does come to fruition, what would you like to see in it? What would you hope it wouldn’t be? Does the article change your understanding of, or interest in, the metaverse? What aspect described in the article was most fascinating, intriguing or enticing? Do you think Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard will hasten the arrival of the metaverse?
How much time do you currently spend in digital or virtual spaces? What kinds of things do you do there? Have you played video games like Roblox and Fortnite that might be described as metaverse adjacent, since players can build their own worlds and spend real money to customize their virtual avatars? If so, do your experiences make you more optimistic about a full-blown future metaverse reality? How concerned should we be about negative behaviors like harassment and hate speech in the metaverse? Does any of what Ms. Frenkel and Mr. Browning describe resonate with your own experiences in digital and virtual spaces? What do you think could or should be done to prevent them? Make a prediction: Will the metaverse ever become a reality? If so, when do you think it may arrive? In 10, 50 or 100 years? Or should we be skeptical of all the hype — at least for now?
Or imagine walking down the street and checking the latest sports scores from a digital display that floats in front of you. Or sitting in class with students who are right next to you — and others who are not. These are just a few of the scenarios envisioned in a future metaverse, a fully realized digital world that exists beyond the one in which we live. Do you find the idea intriguing? Exciting? Scary? Are you looking forward to a future when we are always hooked into a virtual world? Or do you fear it will be a dystopian nightmare? How excited are you about the metaverse? Are you looking forward to a time when you can be hooked into a digital world 24 hours a day? Is the prospect of a fully virtual life more compelling than our current physical and material one? In your opinion, will the metaverse become a digital utopia — or dystopian nightmare? While there’s no single definition or agreed-upon vision of the metaverse, if it does come to fruition, what would you like to see in it? What would you hope it wouldn’t be? Does the article change your understanding of, or interest in, the metaverse? What aspect described in the article was most fascinating, intriguing or enticing? Do you think Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard will hasten the arrival of the metaverse?
How much time do you currently spend in digital or virtual spaces? What kinds of things do you do there? Have you played video games like Roblox and Fortnite that might be described as metaverse adjacent, since players can build their own worlds and spend real money to customize their virtual avatars? If so, do your experiences make you more optimistic about a full-blown future metaverse reality? How concerned should we be about negative behaviors like harassment and hate speech in the metaverse? Does any of what Ms. Frenkel and Mr. Browning describe resonate with your own experiences in digital and virtual spaces? What do you think could or should be done to prevent them? Make a prediction: Will the metaverse ever become a reality? If so, when do you think it may arrive? In 10, 50 or 100 years? Or should we be skeptical of all the hype — at least for now?
