warning! opinions below
Every few weeks I keep hearing about this “Metaverse” be it from over zealous journalists trying to get in on a buzz word or a new startup that wants to bring XYZ into the metaverse.
But what even is this metaverse?!
Why do we even need this? And why is Facebook putting everything into this endeavor?
My guess is that Facebook eh-hem Meta, is trying to stay relevant. Meta clearly knows that Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp will eventually die as MySpace did before it.
So Meta clearly knows that either TicTok will kill it or it will fade into obscurity as their userbase becomes older.
Meta HAS to change completely. This is inevitable as every time there is a new industry shift the industry leaders either need to cannibalize themselves to continue being the leaders or someone new will take over.
Meta can spend their money however they want. But my issue is that there is no commercial level competing idea.
Examples:
- Microsoft is bringing teams and avatars to the metaverse
- Microsoft is also developing its own metaverse
- Apple is developing its own AR/VR headset
- Roblox is advertising itself as a metaverse
- Epic Games is making its Fortnite as a metaverse
- Web3 technology is going to be used in allowing cross-verse purchases and ownership
So currently we have competing metaverses in either production or development but no other idea.
Just the metaverse.
So here is my pitch: someone find out what the best competing idea is against the metaverse. Build that because not everyone will want or be able to participate in the metaverse.
We had/have the same issue with the change to the cloud and SaaS. As software started going to the cloud more and more people are now looking a way from those subscriptions so they can actually own the software. Don’t like Adobe? Use something like Capture One or Affinity Photo. These are truly competitive ideas instead of heading down to zero.
My basic uneducated guess on what the competitor will be to the metaverse is: reality.
Tools that will bring you back into reality and keep you in the present.
My guess is that environmentalists, minimalists, and digital minimalists like Cal Newport would want solutions like this.
The future isn’t the metaverse, it is us, humans.