The topic of the metaverse is getting more attention than ever, thanks to the news of the new pet project by Mark Zuckerberg. When it comes time for Thanksgiving, your mom or dad might have some questions. You might have a few of the same questions.
We have created a handy guide with all the talking points you need for a conversation about the metaverse.
Between bites of stuffing.
A metaverse is a virtual reality or augmented reality world in which people use digitalavatars to interact with each other.
In more depth.
The term "metaverse" was first used in Neal Stephenson's 1992 sci-fi novel "Snow Crash." The concept was popularized in Ernest Cline's "Ready Player One." The metaverse is portrayed as a escapist tool used by the powerful to control the mass by putting them into a state of distraction, but both authors seemed to think that living in the metaverse would be cool.
The concept is back in the news because back in October, Facebook announced plans to develop a fully-realized metaverse for non–evil and non–dystopian reasons. The metaverse is a massive online platform that will allow users to create digital avatars, meet and interact with friends, and create augmented reality over existing physical spaces.
John Carmack, Facebook's own virtual reality expert, said recently that he has been arguing against every single metaverse effort that the company has put forth for years. Privacy concerns as well as the perception that the metaverse needs to be a larger, community-led effort rather than centralized by an evil mega-corp are some of the reasons for the backlash.
If you want to get disowned.
Tell your parents that you want Thanksgiving and Christmas to be held in a metaverse, so you can play your digital fursona avatar, or tell them that you would rather be able to keep your dad out of the picture.
There is more on the metaverse.
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