Metaverse – So much Worse?

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 This blog is about human nature, the changing cognitive process with evolving interactive social technology and whether the Metaverse, at least as currently contemplated, will replace most forms of online personal interaction. We see businesses opening online stores, law firms having online offices, entertainment venues offering unique content and travel companies offering virtual travel around the world. You can visit your friends (the coffee isn’t so great), attend classes, play games, and go for a stroll in the park, even if surrounded by lion and crocodile. What’s not to like or anticipate in this anything goes universe? 

If the barrier is the cost of accessing this world, mostly in the form of hi-tech goggles able to sense the user’s movement, folks (particularly the younger demographics) already spend fortunes on social interconnectivity, content and, most of all, very pricey smartphones. There are payment plans, which drain you slowly and demand increases for “necessary” upgraded. Will surging inflation and the potential of a recession temper these “buy” and “subscribe” decisions? Are economically impaired families gentrified out of participating? Are younger demographics willing to trust in Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of the future? Will this explode? And if it does explode, does it grow or fade? Is it easier to accept during pandemic?

The first inquiry must focus on the obvious early adopters, usually teenagers. The trends on mental processing from living in an overconnected world are well documented. Based on numerous studies, the American Psychological Association tells us: “Over-usage of technology harms the brain systems connecting emotional processing, attention and decision-making. Another study links anxiety, severe depression, suicide attempts and suicide with the rise in use of smartphones, tablets and other devices.

“Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is defined by The New York Times as ‘the blend of anxiety, inadequacy and irritation that can flare up while skimming social media’. Social media is blasted with pictures and posts of scrumptious dinners, raging parties and enviable travel check-ins.” V. Mohamad Ashrof, Impact of Social Media on Our Attention Span and its Drastic Aftermath published in CounterCurrents.org, December 4th. In short, social media is addictive and part of a sense of belonging. 

But social media also allows abusive behavior, outspoken anonymity that has now gravitated into the world of “acceptable” in real life. One only has to look at the evolution of real-world political confrontation and highly opinionated and often vituperative and horrifically incorrect mass or niched media. “The ability to see how our actions impact others every day is essential to a healthy society. In 2010, a University of Michigan study found college students were 40% less empathetic than they were in the late 70s and early 80s, and that students were less likely to endorse statements like ‘I often have tender, concerned feelings for people less fortunate than me,’ or ‘I sometimes try to understand my friends better by imagining how things look from their perspective.’ As narcissism increases empathy levels fall.” Ashrof.

Additionally, the increased proclivity of younger demographics, bombarded with information, to be forced into a multitasking universe – understanding that multitasking is not doing several focused activities at the same time but, instead, it is rapid focus-shifting – is the product of a universe of constant interruptions and demand. The world that defines life today, one that has impacted the young their entire lives. The result: difficulty in pursuing in-depth complex tasks and a severe decline in emotional intelligence that requires time to feel. “People with a short attention span may encounter problems for any length of time without being easily distracted… A lesser attention span can have several negative effects, including:

• Poor performance at work or school

• Missing significant details or information

• Communication difficulties in relationships

• Data wouldn’t emerge as knowledge, as the data is being bombarded haphazardly.

• Empathy and the kindness it sparks are essential human traits. Decrease in attention span decreases empathy.

• Big picture is lost, and easily carried out by propaganda.” Asrof.

The target demographics for introducing the world to the Metaverse are precisely the young people who fit into the above categories. How do you ignore the world outside the Metaverse, always beckoning, when you have drifted into that alternative reality? How do you multitask? As one dons the goggles, one steps into a world where the only distractions and interruptions are in that world. Not from smartphones. Not from real world expectancies and demands. Death and injury are not real. Poverty is irrelevant (if you can afford to be in the Metaverse). You are a captive of Mr. Zuckerberg’s vision. How’s that notion doing with that most relevant Z Generation and younger?

In a survey conducted between February 16 and March 22nd that polled teens from 44 states, with an average age of 16.2 years, the results confirm that the Metaverse does not seem to be gaining the traction some social media gurus predicted: “If the metaverse is the next generation of digital life, it will have to sell itself to the next generation of digital kids. But according to a survey of the Gen Z cohort, many teenagers are skeptical over the idea of a vaguely defined online world, despite the hordes of young people on game platforms like Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite.

“Half of the 7,100 teens surveyed in financial firm Piper Sandler’s biannual Gen Z research project said they were unsure, or had zero intention, of purchasing a device to access the metaverse, such as a virtual-reality headset. Meanwhile, just 9% said they were interested to the point of making a purchase, and 26% said they already own a device. Of that 26%, only 5% entered the metaverse daily, and 82% less than a few times per month.

“While those figures might seem to trample ambitions for a sprawling network of cool kids and influencers, companies still appear hopeful, with metaverse-like gaming platforms offering up a steady stream of festivals and concerts with popular musicians like Lil Nas X, BTS, and Ariana Grande. (In fact, those events have smashed records, drawing tens of millions of viewers.) Meta launched Horizon Worlds in December, the first experiment in its stated quest to dominate the future of VR. And others are targeting an even younger crowd, with Fortnite creator Epic Games recently raising $2 billion to build a kid-friendly metaverse in collaboration with the Lego Group.

“Horizon Worlds, however, may have a tougher time luring today’s teens to its 18-and-older platform. According to analytics firm Morning Consult, less than 50% of Gen Z is interested in the Facebook parent’s main metaverse or its business-meetings offshoot Horizon Workrooms.” FastCompany.com, April 11th. Millennials and X-Gen? Forgetagboutit! And as teens fears about the war in Ukraine and climate change rise, the lure of the Metaverse is even less.

I’m Peter Dekom, and just because a new social media technology is new and cool, one that clearly does not care so much about working-aged adults, does not mean it will soon dominate society.