Metaverse - Hype or the reality of the future

[TheDangerZone]

I have a robot that vacuums my floor. Although it does not do a great job.
I do have a machine that washes my dishes and laundry and I bet you do as well!

I can speak commands in my house and things actually happen! Turn on/off tv, run the vacuum, and my new favorite "announce dinner time!" Every connected device including the TV makes the announcement and the kids come running!

I did see a headline for a flying car the other day. I think the biggest obstacle is that I barely trust the average person on the road. I absolutely would not want people flying over my house.

Washing machines were already invented in the 1950s and in present day we are still responsible for loading, removing, folding, storing, etc. A smart home isn't exactly widely adopted either. Of course technology is advancing all the time, but we historically have no idea which direction things will go. The metaverse or some variant could definitely be the next big thing, that is possible. But is it inevitable? Hardly.

[StarTrekDoc]

We point out phones and scan qr codes. Not a big jump to have a device like Google glass do the same and head up display to you. 5g data speed and micronization is far along now to be able to do this.

IOT devices on wrist have gradually entered normal culture.

[Lordosis]

Interesting to me that some people here seem to think some sort of metaverse like future is inevitable. 50 years ago, people also thought we'd be in flying cars and robots would doing all our housework by now.

At best, it will be a niche product/sector IMO. Some (many? most?) things are much better IRL.

I have a robot that vacuums my floor. Although it does not do a great job.
I do have a machine that washes my dishes and laundry and I bet you do as well!

I can speak commands in my house and things actually happen! Turn on/off tv, run the vacuum, and my new favorite "announce dinner time!" Every connected device including the TV makes the announcement and the kids come running!

I did see a headline for a flying car the other day. I think the biggest obstacle is that I barely trust the average person on the road. I absolutely would not want people flying over my house.

[TheDangerZone]

Interesting to me that some people here seem to think some sort of metaverse like future is inevitable. 50 years ago, people also thought we'd be in flying cars and robots would doing all our housework by now.

At best, it will be a niche product/sector IMO. Some (many? most?) things are much better IRL.

[StarTrekDoc]

Difference between AR - Augmented Reality Minority report/Pokeman Live-- vs Metaverse -- Think Ready Player One.

AR - definitely a viable thing - we already incorporate QR codes readily. Imagine QR+RFID+5G = wearable glasses with internet and HUD - absolutely possible.

Metaverse -. Why not.. not too far off with the tech and high speed we have.

[Dicast]

Mostly hype. I see use cases but not taking over everything. Maybe creating a virtual representation of your dream house to walk around in for perspective. I see augmented reality to be more useful but no one wants google glass so I don't know when AR will happen. This would be a good poll.

[Lordosis]

Anyone read the book "Lock In" By Scalzi? His vision of a metaverse was interesting.

Short plot summary;
Crazy virus infects most of the world. Most people have minor illness but a small percentage develop a "Locked in" Syndrome and the world adapts by creating a virtual universe and controlled hardware so these people can continue to interact in society.

I was reading this book in January of 2020. Really bad timing!

[GIMD]

I think this is the future. I can see myself going to the movie theaters, conferences, or shopping ... in Decentraland or somewhere in the Metaverse in the future with family members that may be thousands of miles away. Virtual 3D is a step up from our current social media messaging.

[childay]

Read two things in a recent article that wants me to never get immersed in a metaverse all the time

22% with ZERO friends? Wow. I mean I'm kinda antisocial and introverted but thats not good

[Kamban]

Is this forum a mini meta?

I play here but don't work here.

[FIREshrink]

Read two things in a recent article that wants me to never get immersed in a metaverse all the time

Is this forum a mini meta?

[Kamban]

Read two things in a recent article that wants me to never get immersed in a metaverse all the time

Researchers have found that people who spend at least two hours outdoors in green spaces every week have better mental and physical health than those who don’t.

More recent research shows that digital connections can be beneficial in certain circumstances (e.g., to stay in touch with geographically distant friends and family), but they cannot replace in-person ones and the value of physical presence and touch.

In their book The Lonely American: Drifting Apart in the 21st Century, Harvard psychiatry professors Jacqueline Olds and Richard Schwartz write that an increased focus on “productivity” and the “cult of busyness” is crowding out time for developing meaningful relationships. This may be especially true among millennials. A recent poll from the market research company YouGov found that 30 percent of millennials say they feel lonely and 22 percent said they have zero friends. This is hugely problematic, and a trend we all, together, must work to reverse.

[Marko-ER]

Sadly, both hype and slowly (but at an ever accelerating rate) becoming reality. We already have a pretty large fraction of the population being maladapted and non-productive. I don't agree with Jordan Petersen much, but he is right that there is a crisis among young male population in the lower-middle class. Meta and similar platforms will constitute yet another means of escapism and produce unrealistic expectations. Most days I am grateful I have the predisposition of a Luddite.

[Panscan]

Isn’t that what they said about technology in general? It will take us away from others? Yet look at how many of us have smart phones?

I think it is inevitable. Going shopping in an augmented world will be real soon.

Information started out as one way:
Phase one: the NET to you in one direction. You just down load information. e.g. DOS/iOS, desktops. Websites.
Phase two: some 2 way communications but mostly still one way. e.g. Smart phones, blogs, tweets, FB, instagram. FaceTime/zoom
Phase three: full 2 way communications. Visit the national art gallery from your home. Try on that coat in Milan, Italy without the plane ride. If you watch Sci-fi shows, it clearly is where this is headed.
And from an investment POV, if you don’t embrace it, you will be left to the ‘legacy’ companies for your slow growth.
My two cents.

But that doesn't mean it is good for society. The value of these companies may go up and yes everyone is addicted to their phone, again I would say to our demise, not our benefit.

It is almost certainly bad for society in terms of interpersonal relationships, socialization, maturation, etc.

[pierre]

Isn’t that what they said about technology in general? It will take us away from others? Yet look at how many of us have smart phones?

I think it is inevitable. Going shopping in an augmented world will be real soon.

Information started out as one way:
Phase one: the NET to you in one direction. You just down load information. e.g. DOS/iOS, desktops. Websites.
Phase two: some 2 way communications but mostly still one way. e.g. Smart phones, blogs, tweets, FB, instagram. FaceTime/zoom
Phase three: full 2 way communications. Visit the national art gallery from your home. Try on that coat in Milan, Italy without the plane ride. If you watch Sci-fi shows, it clearly is where this is headed.
And from an investment POV, if you don’t embrace it, you will be left to the ‘legacy’ companies for your slow growth.
My two cents.

I will admit I don’t watch a lot of sci-fi, but dont they all start or end with some dystopian world where the earth is dying or the machines are taking over and small band of humans is trying to win the planet back, or settle on a new planet?