You have probably already heard that Mark Zuckerberg wants to build the Metaverse, a virtual reality ‘Internet of the future’ where we can all strap on a pair of VR goggles and escape our dreary ‘real’ reality for a virtual reality world owned by Facebook.
Zuck is so serious he even renamed the company META to prove it. But don’t let the new name fool you. It’s still Mark Zuckerberg’s version of the Internet that counts – not yours.
Sounds more like The Matrix to me…
The company that represents all that is negative about today’s Internet: algorithms, manipulation, radicalization, self-harm, suicide and even genocide, expects us now to trust META, to build the online Future?
Just imagine strapping on a pair of META VR goggles, packed with sensors, cameras and microphones to track and record your every move to deliver a superior Metaverse experience. But don’t mistake the marketing drivel for real intent. The true reason behind the rebranding to META is to own your entire internet experience.
While I can think of nothing better than seeing Keanu Reeves taking revenge on Mark Zuckerberg at the end of The Matrix Revolutions, enslaving the entire population of the planet to power a dystopian virtual reality Metaverse is definitely not worth it.
It’s time for each of us to make Neo’s choice…
Blue pill or Red pill?
If you like the idea of a convenient ‘escape’ from day to day reality into a new virtual reality where the steak is tasty, you can take the blue pill and join Zuckerberg’s METAverse. Everything you see, feel and perhaps even taste is fed to you through a set of lenses over a network owned and controlled by one sociopathic billionaire. Welcome back to the Matrix.
Or, you can take the red pill and choose a reality that might not be as convenient, but at least it will real and it is yours. Welcome to Zion.
The Future is so bright I gotta wear goggles
Don’t get me wrong, I actually do believe the future of the Internet will probably include an augmented or virtual reality component, however, access to the future internet, including the goggles, glasses or the input jack on the back of your neck must not be owned by anyone but you.
The METAverse offered by Mark Zuckerberg will be a private manipulation machine even more seductive than Facebook and if you take the blue pill you will have countless hours of mindless enjoyment and the odd suicidal thought.
If you take the red pill and decide that you want to be in control of your virtual reality you must be prepared to take that control yourself. If the future Internet is not going to turn out the same way as today’s Internet we must start with user-centric, self-sovereign access for every person.
Explore the Metaverse on your terms not META’s