As the hype around metaverses increases, many early digital worlds have offered stern warnings to those building them.
Philip Rosedale, the founder of the virtual world Second Life, spoke to Time along with Tom Boellstorff about their insights on building metaverses. He warned about creating a moderation system that would allow users to co-exist in a metaverse.
Getting identity right is one thing, but the real person behind theavatar is not going to behave well if they are identified as the real person behind theavatar. We don't have identity systems yet that would enable strong governance, so we are not there yet on the internet.
Boelstorff said that there needs to be a strong framework in place to prevent bad actors from using the platform for harm. He said that since users had to pay for a subscription, ad-driven corporations weren't able to exploit it as effectively as a platform like Facebook.
Boellstorff told Time that the subscription model of Second Life is one reason that there is no misinformation. The metaverse stuff going forward has to be something other than a corporate ad-driven model.
The large barrier to entry is a warning for the developers of the metaverse. In order to access the metaverse, you will need a computer, internet connection, and a virtual reality headset. He said that many users don't want to be a cartoon character while wearing a virtual reality headset.
Even if you try hard, there will be a large swath of the population who will not be interested in spending time in a metaverse.
If you live a comfortable life in New York City, you will probably choose to live there. If I give you the life of anavatar, you will not use it very much. If you live in a rural location with little social contact, are disabled or live in an authoritarian environment, youravatar can become your primary identity.
When compared to other early metaverse innovators, Rosedale's insights are very tame and supportive. John Hanke, the creator of Pokémon Go, wrote on his company's website that the metaverse would be a "dystopian nightmare" if created in virtual reality. Louis Rosenberg wrote an op-ed where he expressed concern about the legitimate uses of augmented reality by the powerful platform providers that will control the infrastructure.
Time will tell if some rendition of the metaverse will fulfill their warnings. The creator of one of the most popular and successful virtual worlds might be able to give developers advice.
There are lessons to be learned from the creator of Second Life.
There are more warnings on metaverse.
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