Metaverse Children for poor families is another form of techno-classism

The online virtual world of the Metaverse is resulting in dozens of wild ideas from experts. From Metaverse Sex clubs to Metaverse Children, every single thing is believed to have potential in the virtual platform.

Metaverse VR babies have been heavily proposed by AI expert and psychologist Catriona Campbell. With the price of life increasing, Campbell believes that virtual children will be an integral part of everyday life by the 2070s. However, a lot of people are unconvinced.

What are Metaverse Children?

Campbell’s pitch for Metaverse Children proposes that everyday couples that can’t afford to raise real kids would be able to have a faux one, but it won’t be free. Instead, customers would have to spend around $25 a month to raise a virtual child.

With realistic graphics, augmented and virtual reality, and complex AI, VR babies are explained as a good alternative for poorer families and same-sex couples. Campbell also claims this is an integral part of solving numerous world issues.

For example, overpopulation is an issue, and if Campbell’s predictions of Metaverse Babies making up 50% of children is correct, that will certainly solve it. Additionally, they claim that the children will use up less resources, being better for the Earth.

In Campbell’s mind, virtual kids are the best idea for poor families. After all, if a couple can’t afford a real, tangible child, they should be happy with a digital representation of one, right? Actually, no.

The approaching increase of techno-classism.

The next-generation of the tech industry is pushing hard on separating the poor from nature. This can be seen right now with Meta’s lofty goals for its “Metaverse”, one that sees everyday people working 9-5 in VR.

However, while Meta’s plans are concerning, they’re not the only ones. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wants humans on the desolate red planet of Mars instead of Earth, a life he claims will be hard and deadly. Additionally, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has announced wishes for everyday humans to live in orbital space stations while Earth is converted into a tourist attraction for the rich.

Before, technology was for the rich and nature was for the poor. However, as technology improved and portable computers became commonplace for everyone, technology is for the common folk. The computer used to be for the rich man, now everyone has a smartphone.

This has led to a huge switch in what the rich are taking for themselves. The rich don’t want more technology, they want more of nature for themselves; Earth is for them, the cold, metallic space stations are for the common folk.

Just like dystopian sci-fi, billionaires like Bezos will be happy knowing that normal humans will live without ever touching Earth, without feeling real, fresh air filling their lungs. Perhaps billionaires watched WALL•E and thought: “No, the poor should fly around on hover chairs and never see a real plant.”

How Metaverse Children enforce techno-classism

Just like pushing humanity away from Earth and away from the outside world, Metaverse Children enforce the classist belief that the poor do not deserve nature. Just as Bezos wants to replace Earth for poor people, Metaverse kids enforce the belief that poor people do not deserve real things.

Instead of enforcing a society that helps poor people look after their children, virtual babies enforce a society that the poor should settle for what the rich give them. Even if it means having a child you can never hold; a child that isn’t real.

As humans, we get attached easily to things that aren’t real. A Nintendog can be loved as much as a real dog. However, when something bad happens, like a family member passing, you can’t hold that Nintendog for comfort, and that’s when the holes get larger.

How do you tell your Metaverse Child that its father has passed away? It won’t care; it’s not a sentient AI. It’s a chatbot, an enhanced Siri posing as your child because those in power deem you don’t deserve a real one.

There’s no doubt that Metaverse children will exist at some time, and that they will be used. However, if they become as popular as the real deal, it’s because the system has failed, and those with the power to change it do not care. After all, you’re poor, right? Why do you deserve reality?