The realisation of The Metaverse is a troubling one. Based on dystopian sci-fi, the currently-fictional concept aims to thrust everyday human activities into virtual reality. While there are certainly critics of the future internet — like us — there is a Pro-Metaverse crowd.
However, while there are people excited for some Metaverse shenanigans, almost everyone is concerned about one of its key players: Meta, aka Facebook. But just how many people are against the ZuckerVerse?
Pro-Metaverse people do exist
Via SocialMediaToday, an extensive survey by NordVPN reveals that there is a significant Pro-Metaverse crowd. The survey asked a sample of 1,002 American NordVPN customers, which is an admittedly limited selection of people.
For example, NordVPN customers are likely to be engaged in high-end tech concepts. Additionally, VPN customers are more likely to be sceptical of large companies harvesting data. These factors are obviously reflecting on the survey’s results.
The survey found that 66% of participants believe The Metaverse can replace social media in the future, but only 24% believe it will totally replace it. However, the survey also revealed that only 14% of people can actually explain “what the metaverse is”.
Despite this, 74% of participants are Pro-Metaverse. Reasons ranged from wanting to be “a different person” to just communicating with others. But even those sold on The Metaverse are worried about the likes of Facebook capitalising on the technology.
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The Facebook Metaverse is an issue
The survey revealed that a massive 87% of participants are “concerned about their privacy if Facebook succeeds in creating The Metaverse”. So, even people who aren't sold on the idea of virtual living are concerned about Facebook being involved.
Additionally, 50% were concerned about people impersonating others in virtual space with 47% concerned that their identity will not be protected. 43% were also worried that they could never be sure of the identify of individuals.
Thankfully, The Metaverse isn't here yet. While Facebook is funnelling billions into the technology, there's no proof it'll take off. Maybe people will prefer living in real reality, and not virtualisation.