The metaverse: marvellous or madness?
The latest news reports about the metaverse say that it has huge potential to change how people use technology. From playing games, shopping and socialising with friends, to making medical advances and developing technology – the possibilities seem to be endless.
However, in a virtual space that operates in the same way the real world does, the dangers and pitfalls are also very real.
This made us curious about a very important question:
Before you comment, try to consider both sides of the argument:
Who might think the metaverse will change the world for the better? For example, because of opportunities, technological advancement or pleasure.
And who might think that it’s a bad thing? For example, because of dangers, costs or new behaviours.
Don’t forget to read other students’ responses and let them know what you think!
Comments (250)
I'm really excited to see how the metaverse will increase our ability to socialise with people from around the world. Imagine having more global friends? You could have connections far beyond your regular circle, which will be better for increasing mobility in the future for everyone around the world. It will also make for a more interesting life, as you would hear from people who are from a completely different place to where you are from.
Metaverse can also be of disadvantage. This is because the more "global friends" you have, the more one is prone to cyberbullying, so it cannot be of total advantage
I agree totally with this but weighing the advantages and disadvantages of this is important. We should put in consideration the cost and it's present availability.
Metaverse can be disadvantage.The high degree of freedom which is an advantage of metaverse makes metaverse users more dangerous than users of excisting on line services&games.
I agree with this because it is important to make sure that there are a higher amount of pros than cons in this situation. A high amount of friends is more of a con because more of them have a chance of bullying or making fun of another. For that reason, I agree heavily.
What you say is true to one extent, but 'global friend' means we are getting friends out of our school, society, country and even the continent. We can get to know their culture, heritage and life style. If youvstill think that they are unsafe you can ask your real life friends to join metaverse in the same platform where you are.
It may be that what is prohibited in reality is permissible within the virtual world, and its act does not expose its owner to question by society because it is problematic, and from here psychological barriers with vice are broken by default, so that it becomes easy to apply in reality!
I agree because we have to dwell on developing the world . If you spend money on the metaverse and you were poor, you will think you are rich in the metaverse yet in real life you will remain poor. And so we need to use the available resources to meet our needs.
I am also excited about the metaverse. I can not wait to see how it help improve our socialisation with others around the world.
Please don’t forget that metaverse although improve our socialisation with other it decreases or erase our social communication in the same family with their members
Thanks for your comment grateful_clam
As we're becoming more connected globally, it's great that we speak to more people from walks of life we couldn't previously.
But as some of the comments below suggest, it also opens up risks, like bullying; what kind of measures do you think we need to keep people safe in the metaverse? Who do you think is responsible for making sure it's a good space for those who use it?
We can ensure safety in the metaverse if we
1. Identify all vulnerabilities that could exist.
2. Develop metaverse terms and conditions.
3. Moderate your organization's metaverse.
4. Create a metaverse security and privacy policy.
And as of keeping the metaverse safe Facebook announced a USD 50 million funds called the XR Programs and Research Fund to help develop a responsible metaverse.
I agree with you, my friend. You found all the weaknesses of the Metavirus and fixed them.
I agree with you, the Internet is known to be a cruel place, and strangers tend to be cruel and unacceptable to people's differences. Malicious behavior towards others can be found all over the internet, be it on social media or in games.
Despite numerous campaigns to prevent or reduce these behaviors. Using the internet in a 3D setting and allowing users to feel completely immersed in the metaverse will give these bad guys more power. This leads to greater chances of attacking others and may make victims more vulnerable and less protected. Where there is no longer a screen to look away from.
Bullying, harassment and personal attacks on anyone will inevitably be one of the downsides of the Metaverse. Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done to combat it.
Yes, I agree with you. The bullied person will feel safe behind the screen, as he will not be subjected to punishment or imprisonment. He often has a false name and picture, and they are not real. If they are stopped, he can create hundreds of others, and this is what encourages him, although the matter is very painful. There are people who may die because of it. These text messages, which may seem short, but they cause great pain for their future, and do not forget that if the matter is repeated and from a group, it may destroy you emotionally and psychologically, and for this reason, cybersecurity work (electronic security) must be encouraged, and any electronic bully should be exposed to legal issues.
I disagree because when one wants to explore some things like volcanic eruption, can use the metaverse to access the place easily and will be able to give the feedback to the organisation which will earn he/she income.
So for this reason if they do not develop the metaverse, they will not be able to provide basic needs.,
I think that to keep people safe on the metaverse, there should be privacy policies,and the users should be able to block and report anything or anyone they think is a threat.
You're absolutely right - but who decides who or what is a "threat"? Different people might believe different things need to be controlled, and in different ways.
I think that the users should be able to determine what they think is a threat and they should be able to report or block them.
Bullying is a really bad thing, whether it is electronic or real, but the unfortunate truth is that we will not be able to get rid of the bully at all. Whenever we go to one type of bullying to eliminate it, ten other types appear instead. So we have to try to have a solid, strong and confident personality, not a fragile personality. Weak so that we can live while we are well, but this does not mean keeping silent about the bullies, so reports must be submitted about them, and those responsible for the Metaverse must develop security and prevent anyone from creating more than one account so that they do not return to bullying if their account is reported and suspended
True talk, but if all people direct their attention and attention to the Metaverse, they may forget about the world and society around them, and they may become addicted to it with time.
Getting addicted to something is on our hands, if we have will power and self control to our habits we use them effectively without getting addicted and to prevent that we have to frame effective rules to use metaverse based the age criteria.For instance you could set timings to use metaverse platform everyday which will prevent you from getting addicted
"you need self control in an out-of-control world"
Metaverse is something like another world .
We must be self-controlled in all things, otherwise it will be destroyed, so self-control is very important for life.
How might people show self control in the metaverse, valuable_tamarind? How does this quote link?
I agree because the metaverse is developed by people who use their money to start it so if they do not control the metaverse and the people misbehave, they will lose their business and many people will lose jobs hence causing a lot of problems for example domestic violence and misunderstanding between countries .And why don' t the people who develop the metaverse make their own people to live there forever and not disturbing the people of the real world and confusing there mind with untrue things,making them to admire what they cannot afford.
Your point interests me, what if the game has built in shutdown times when you are supposed to take care of yourself
Although I agree with you the metaverse is available to everyone and anyone so it could be anyone behind the avatar or the screen and the friends that you meet in the metaverse could end up hurting your feelings with cyberbullying.
I agree with you because we are all excited, but do you think that unknown global friends do not pose a threat to the individual, because no matter how the situation changes, they will remain strangers
I agree because... Why? I think diligent_donkey has a good point here because I have been just communicating with the people in my locality but now I have many friends all over the planet due to this global chats, and it has enabled me to improve on my computing skills.
This is beautiful, but excessive openness on social media can be more negative than positive, and getting to know friends from around the world is wonderful in the full sense of the word, but these friends can be bad or deceitful ... This is just an opinion, nothing more 😁
I agree because... some friends are spies in your life . Take for instance you are the president of your country and you have friends from oppositions ,do you think the friends you really have are honest friends? Maybe you can't afford joining the metaverse and your friend can and you get some misunderstanding within you ,don't you think your friend can do anything destructive to you? So always make friends with a lot of care.
I'm not sure about this because... I agree with you and for whom, if they are bad friends, and also for the virtual world, the person has many negatives...
I agree because with using metaverse,we can get to know different cultures from different people all over the worldand that's great.Often , your real friends these days affect you badly, encourage you to do wrong actions,so global friends are the best choice.
Do you think there are ways to have positive friendships inside and outside of the metaverse?
Yes, I think there are ways to have positive friendships inside and outside of the metaverse by having self control, having respect but the best way is to set up laws.
Can you develop further and explain what laws you think could be set up for the metaverse world?
Yes, I think there are a lot of ways to have positive friendships inside and outside the metaverse, we could do this by maintaining respect and respectful boundaries, we could also be kind and respect the views and opinions of our friends.
i agree because i play vr and its like a new world
Thank you for your comment but although they increase our ability to socialise with people all over the world but it also has the negative impacts in them like people in metaverse introduce the immoral behaviour that are not good for the people of the real world
I also agree as it will be very interesting to see how it turns out. Also i am already really exited to have my own pet dragon! I already named it as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 💗
I agree because... while in the metaverse, you meet people of different kinds .Both good and bad alike. This will help us to socialize with people and understand their different behaviors.This therefore means that we should also concentrate on the development of the metaverse . But also take care when associating with some of this people because not all that gliters is gold.
The meta virus is really strange, and like anything new and strange, it has many positives and many negatives, and we cannot judge it if it is useful or not, except after comparing it. We start with the positives:
1- Facilitating social communication and communication with relatives and friends who live far away.
2- Those who were born with congenital deformities will be able to overcome the matter, as he will not be subjected to bullying, as well as people with disabilities, as they will be able to carry out normal tasks within the metaverse.
3- Facilitating the transfer and development of information and knowledge.
4- Facilitating scientific and chemical experiments. There are many more, but I have summarized the most important ones for me.
The negatives:
1- Lack of real and tangible communication
2- Facilitating deception of others through fake accounts and fake avatars
3- It will be very easy to steal information and money.
4- Many people will become distrustful of their outward appearance or their protective personality because of what they are pretending to be behind the Avatar on the Metaverse.
In the end, I think that the Metaverse is not so bad that it is good, but if we use it poorly and do not overdo it in dealing with it
I agree with what your saying because the Metaverse can allow for a lot of good things like with medical advancements, but it can turn bad when people spend too much time and get too immersed inside of the metaverse.
As you say metavers is not good and its not bad but the peple can make it bad when they spend alot of time on it its can be good When used regularly and regularly, it can improve medicine, medicine, education, art and culture, and it can change perspectives in many ways.
You are right but some people like in my country will not be able to afford metaverse so they will not be able to enjoy these good things in the metaverse.
I agree because it may be expensive for others as they might not have enough money so they wont be able to enjoy the metaverse
I liked point 2 in the positives, as it drew my attention to something that I was unaware of, and I also think that it is one of the positives of Metaverse that we will not leave people we love and care about, such as the mother or father of relatives or friends, because there is a copy of it in the virtual world, and it is possible through artificial intelligence to We make there a copy similar to it in the virtual world, so we do not feel longing and sadness and find their warm embrace there, but if the same idea is used, but during a person’s life, it will become a disaster and identity theft, so we must encourage verification of correct information and not stolen
It is true that it will be disastrous if there are two of a person and his relatives, then they will not differentiate between them, so then the virtual version steals the life of the real person, his relatives and his family, and we do not forget that he can offend one of your relatives or friends, so you lose your relationship with him even if you love him deeply and He may sign contracts that will lead you to death, or even reject contracts that would have made your life very high
Yes, it is dangerous that there is a copy of you, and since you mentioned this matter, I would like to note that it exists even in our reality and on social networking sites, but it is called impersonation, and it is about stealing life from a person, as it is based on denying him and living his life instead of him And this destroys man completely, and this is a crime punishable by law, so we have to be punished for it even in the metaverse
The metaverse is a very exciting technological advancement although it has some downfalls. Yes, you can meet thousands of people globally, but safety is a real concern. Will there be virtual police? Who leads the metaverse? Another issue is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is a serious issue even in the real world so what will it be like in the metaverse? People could pretend to be others and trick you into believing the wrong things.
So in my opinion, the metaverse is a really good thing but safety measures need to be added for the well-being of the people using it.
Some fantastic ideas here! Can you suggest one idea for the safety measures you mentioned and go into a little more detail about how this might work? For example, who would be in charge of it?
Thank you!
I think that just as there are police in the real world, they could be enforced in the metaverse so as to bring about some form of safety for the users. There should also be punishmets put in place for any offenders. As for the person in charge of it, there should be someone (perhaps the creator of the metaverse) that is willing to make the decisions in the metaverse.
Some great ideas here - This is very like moderators or administrators in many preexisting online communities.
Do you think that the creator of the metaverse should be the main person making those decisions, or is there a more democratic alternative you think might work?
Talking about punishment, I think that any person who is offending the rules set should be prohibited from using metaverse platform for ever depending upon their intensity of offence, the duration could be changed. When we have strict laws the people will use the platform effectively
I agree because... One of the most important parts of any online platform is its users, and that will continue to be the case within Metaverse. Protecting users should be paramount in this virtual world, just as it should be in the real world. This protection can come in a variety of forms, but providing users with appropriate levels of privacy and security should be at the top of the list. Furthermore, users should be able to report if another user has acted inappropriately towards them or if something has happened. another that disturbs or worries them. Allowing users to file complaints in this way can also help Metaverse improve its security features.
Yes you are right. We meet thousands of people globally, yet we are not sure if they are good or bad people. Because of corruption and insecure environment and safety reason, I think we should be very careful in the viture world. To prevent any danger, there should be laws and deterrents.
You are right because we can get friends thinking that they are good and yet in actual sense they are bad and they might end up leading us to danger for example death,stealing.So if we go to the metaverse, we should be careful with the friends we are to get.
I agree with you totally about safety. But where are the rules and ethics that govern the use of these new world, who would bring them up and who should be in charge of these virtue world? Just like in the real world people will experience the good and bad behaviors of others. So if in the real world there are rules and ethics that govern people behaviors there should also be rules that govern people behaviors in the virtue world? There should be a limit to where people go, do and meet. Now the question is who should be in charge of this new and mysterious world.
Now look at it this way, A metaverse can be seen a composite of all universe(s) meaning the convergence of physical reality.
On the issue of who will be in charge, those who are involved in the metaverse world will and can control themselves. They are humans who are created with great intellect, self control and sense of reasoning. So the issue of who will be in charge, they can run the metaverse for a period time and then observe those who have been contributing to it positively, when this is done it is then easier to choose who will generally oversee the metaverse whether through election, appointment and any other way as long as it will be peaceful. Previously,
Someone mentioned something about cyber bullying, now when those leaders are appointed anyone who is then found guilty of such unwelcome, unacceptable, unpleasant, disagreeable behaviour should be evacuated from the metaverse if the offence committed deserves such heavy punishment if not he or she should be warned.
In my opinion, yes metaverse can be a good thing and adding some safety features to track misuse of it and user abuse will go a long way in checking abuse. So I will like to know what security features or policies could be put in place to check mate crimes that could be perpetrated in the metaverse world?
Well,i think that some of the features that could be put in place to checkmate crime in the metaverse world are the use of encryption and also constantly updating software security protocols.
Yes , metaverse are being developed by thousands of interested people , and as it is a double - edged sword, its positives and negatives evolve with its development and I agree with you in terms of setting a law for it that regulates and presides over it
Can you extend your point further by explaining how the metaverse is being developed and how this will impact upon others and their lives?
Two technologies considered important to the development and growth of the metaverse are virtual reality and augmented reality: Virtual reality is a simulated 3D environment that enables users to interact with a virtual surrounding in a way that approximates reality as perceived through our senses.
AR enriches our real-world environment by adding digital elements to it, whereas VR creates an entirely digital world for us to explore. These technologies have diverse applications, ranging from enriching shopping experiences to providing more engaging entertainment and education experiences.
I agree because...
I agree because both technologies are considered as important as each others and you have explained clearly and concisely how these support its users.
I agree that metaverse can be very exciting because for example we as students, teachers, schools all over the world joined to Topical Talk Festival 2023 and shared our opinions and discussions about the topics offered for disscussion, and this can be useful and intersting to know how others think about different topics,and give us informations about these topics.
For the safty measuers, in this site
*I think the creators of it and the experts put rules to be followed before each comment, and if it's not suitable they will refuse it.
*also they accept the subscribers and give them accounts with anick name not a real namefir more safty.
*also they put atopic of how to stay safe when using student hub.
Thank you to those in charge of the site from the heart for their efforts and for this special site.
Well, I think the Metaverse will be a wrong decision and a bad thing to the world because it will cause a borderline between the virtual and the real world, this will make individuals to be addicted to the virtual world they will spend most of their time in the virtual , unrealistic world in which everything is not real. And this could make it difficult for them to distinguish between the real and the digital world , the Metaverse is more risky because there is no law governing it from the real world . This will encourage the access of hackers into the users private information, there will be different forms of exploitation and cyber Bullying. And it will also be of disadvantage to some poor countries that can’t afford it because it is expensive .
You say that the metaverse is "risky because there is no law governing it from the real world". What laws do you think there should be? And who should be in charge of these laws?
Well, from my opinion I think there should be limitations , I feel like there should be limited time for the usage , in this way the users have certain time limits to access the Metaverse . With this, it will control the user’s usage and it will prevent addiction and also, the user will not be too frequent and will have time to perform daily life activities in real life this way the user will not find it difficult to distinguish between the virtual and the real world.This will also help reduce the risk of exploitation or cyber bullying by hackers because the user is not frequently in the Metaverse so the hackers will find it difficult to obtain a user’s private information .
Honestly I don’t think there should be someone in charge of the law it should be programmed by the creator to ensure that the Metaverse doesn’t affect the safety and life of the user .
Thanks for replying, reserved_wolf! You said that you think the law should be programmed by the creators of the metaverse. So, if more people use the metaverse than are in a single country, would this make the creators of the metaverse more powerful than the leaders of real countries?
In this case , I think it depends on how people decides to use the Metaverse, if they deserve to use it in a way that they they minimize and limit the usage whereby it doesn’t interfere with their real life and they spend enough time in real world than virtual world in this case the leaders of their countries are superior.
But in a case whereby the users use it frequently and they are often in the Metaverse than the real world they will use it respectively to how it was programmed and they will also move with it flow in this case the creators are superior because the users are following the instructions they programmed.
I see that the real world will be destroyed and devastated, and companies, schools and hospitals will not continue their work.
I see the solution to people leaving the virtual world.
1- For the state to take measures to set a specific limit and control by the state to set a specific limit to spend time in it.
2- Spreading alternatives to luxury in the real world.
3- Conducting competitions, seminars, meetings and celebrations in the real world that distract people from the virtual world.
4- Educating people about its harm if it exceeds its limit, and educating them that they must build this world to make it better without the need for a virtual world.
Hi ,From my point of view, there must be a law governing the Metaverse to preserve safety, security, and the virtual world from destruction.
Such as a legal action regarding the exploitation of private intellectual property rights in the virtual world.
And prevent any electronic theft of information or any bullying or assault
I agree with you reserved_wolf because everything you are saying is true. If the graphics in the metaverse are the same as the real world this could make many not be able to distinguish real from fake. Which could ultimately attach them to their life in the metaverse. Also without proper governing this could really open up into identity theft, online harassment, and cyber bullying. I agree with the your statement about developing countries not being able to afford VR headsets and all other necessities to go into the metaverse because without the proper money to even buy the things needed to go into the metaverse.
I agree with your comment fully, because it is very important to make sure that people don't lose themselves whilst partaking in the metaverse by becoming addicted.
The metaverse is a marvelous technology advancement but my concern is what will happen if everyone in the world enters the metaverse and never comes back . Who will be taking care of the farms, shops, schools, big industries etc ? So will all the labor and hard work of people put on this world go to waste? That’s why I think it is of disadvantage.
Could people survive if people in the real world stopped working? What could be done to stop people from not wanting to leave their lives in the metaverse?
Hi I have also been thinking of what you said indeed metaverse has advantages and disadvantages because in some point of view it has made life easier . But the disadvantages not good.
I agree with your fascinating comment because I believe the same! It is possible that workers and other humans are able to become addicted and not be able to leave, which puts jobs, companies, and even themselves at risk.
I don't think many people believe in the metaverse, it may pose dangers to many people such as addiction problems, virtual bullying. and others She was one of the relatives of the most used people, I think.. She stayed away from her work for a period of time about 3 months because of the metaverse, but after I watched her do that, I did not stop because I saw that it might pose a danger to her.. So I used a site that showed me the most important risks The incident on this metaverse .. She was not convinced at first, but I tried to convince her more than once that it poses a threat to her and her practical, psychological and social life I saw her that it was mixed on the metaverse, so I did not deprive her of it... and advised her to use it in certain periods and reasons.. and the metaverse is very useful for humans.. but humans do not know how to use this program.. so they need follow-up and instructions for that user of the metaverse
Introducing metaverse to the world will be a great achievement because it will give one the opportunity to visit places out of this world. It will be easy to travel to space , see all the possible creations that live under the ocean and seas. Touring around the world and universe will be made easy and faster.
On the other hand, I think that pretty insane the metaverse in the future will be. The grass always looks greener. The typical person in future decades might have to deal with environmental, political, financial, and social issues the we don't. But if uninterrupted, this type of technology and its problems will become incomprehensively more advanced with each generation of people.
That's a balanced perspective on where some of the problems might lie with the metaverse - It's important to look at all possible consequences, good and bad, before implementing big changes.
What problems do you think adopting the metaverse could cause, and how would you prevent them?