Human Connection and the Metaverse: Where Are We Headed?

Millions of people are talking about the metaverse now that Facebook and Microsoft recently made a play to become leaders in this strange new space.

So what is it? The metaverse combines virtual and augmented reality, along with video, to create a three dimensional area where people can interact. It isn’t a new idea, but we are finally getting to the point where a large number of users can engage in this new kind of space.

Will the metaverse make us more connected than ever? Or will it further drive the digital wedge between us? And how will it change the world as we know it?

Living in the Immaterial World

Art is now purchased as NFTs. Teams communicate over Discord. For years, doctors have been doing surgery remotely. We are already living in the immaterial world. But the metaverse brings us into entirely new territory. We will now be experiencing digital spaces in much the same way that we experience physical ones. The changes might be dramatic.

Especially with the rise of COVID-19 and fears of more pandemics on the horizon, the metaverse gives us a way to experience vivid, 3D social experiences without the risk of infection. And we can shake hands and sit down with people living on the other side of the world.

More and more people spending time in this space also gives us opportunities. Creating content and areas in this new world provides a way to be productive — and all without requiring resources that rely on extractive industries.

The metaverse gives us places to build and explore without spending a lot of money or breaking ground on unspoiled land.

All of this sounds amazing, but there is another side.

The Dangers of the Metaverse

As Sigmund Freud famously said in Civilization and Its Discontents, “If there had been no railway to conquer distance, my child would never have left town and I should need no telephone to hear his voice.”

In other words, the telephone only helped us connect because other technologies drove us apart from each other. And I think most people would say that a face-to-face conversation builds deeper connections than a telephone call.

As we spend more and more time in virtual spaces, what will happen to the living, breathing reality around us? If we spend our entire lives in the metaverse, will we care what happens to the environment? What does a human life feel like when real touch and interaction is replaced by chatting through avatars?

We’ve seen how the shift of our social lives more and more on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter has led to higher rates of depression and anxiety. And it’s done nothing to slow the decline of deep friendships in post-industrial countries. While social media promised to bring us closer, it seems only to be a benefit to those industries that rely on collecting big data.

The metaverse has amazing potential, and it seems inevitable that it will become a major part of many of our lives. But as we step into this brave new world, we will have to keep our eyes open to the risks.