METAVERSE
“WHEN VIRTUAL REALITY GETS CHEAPER THAN DATING, SOCIETY IS DOOMED.”
SCOTT ADAMS, AMERICAN CARTOONIST
You’re living in the Metaverse, you just don’t know it yet. By Ben Popper
There is a grand vision of a network of fully realized virtual worlds where users connect as believable avatars
and carry their digital lives between VR, AR, and IRL. That’s not how most people live today, but we’re moving
along a continuum where more of everyday life is mediated through digital worlds and personas with each
passing year.
As someone who has struggled with an addiction to video games, I’m afraid of the world my children are
growing into. It seems likely that, the earlier you step into the Metaverse, the greater the chances it will hold a
deep and lasting significance as you age. While virtual connections were a lifeline during a pandemic lockdown,
when seeing each other in person was dangerous, I’m troubled by research that indicates teenagers whose
everyday lives are dominated by their social interactions online are more likely to experience depression.
What gives me hope is that there seems to be a cohort of young people who understand the risks and are
rejecting a life lived completely online. And new research indicates that the connection between a life lived
online and mental health struggles may not be as significant as early work claimed. The pandemic has been a
powerful reminder that video calls and multiplayer games can only provide so much social sustenance.
Meanwhile, the building blocks for the Metaverse continue to be laid into a foundation.
full article: https://stackoverflow.blog/2021/08/23/youre-living-in-the-metaverse-you-just-dont-know-it-yet/
DISCUSSION
What is the metaverse? What benefits will it bring? How will it change the way we communicate? Will it
change our lives for the better or worse?
How will the metaverse change the way we work? How will it change the way companies conduct business?
How about the way we shop?
How will the metaverse affect tourism? How do you imagine a virtual vacation would be? Where would you
go? What would you do?
What regulations should there be for the metaverse? Who should be responsible for setting these regulations?
Is it a good idea for a small number of private companies to have so much control over the metaverse?
In what ways might the metaverse be considered dangerous? Will the metaverse lead to a technological
dystopian future?
How will the metaverse affect our perception of reality? How does social media already shape our reality
today?
Are we already living fake lives today? Have humans already lost their grip on reality?
Will the metaverse lead to the creation of a new social class system based on our social media popularity?
VOCABULARY
the metaverse (noun) – a virtual-reality space on the internet in which people interact with each other.
virtual reality / VR (noun) – a computer-generated simulated experience that can be interacted with by a
person using special equipment.
augmented reality / AR (noun) – a computer-generated image superimposed on real-world objects to provide
user interaction.
avatar (noun) – the computer-generated representation of a user.
virtual world (noun) – a computer-simulated world where people can enter as avatars and interact with each
other.
the real world (noun) – the world as it is, as opposed to a theoretical, simulated or idealistic world
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
Will humans live in the metaverse in the future? How would that work? To what extent are we already living in
the metaverse?
Have you ever experienced virtual reality? How was it? What are the different ways we could use virtual
reality, either today or in the future?
How could augmented reality be used to help in education, at work, or as entertainment?
Will avatars replace face-to-face human interaction in the future?
What kind of virtual world would you like to live in? How would you describe it? What would you do there?
Which people are not living in the real world?
WHAT IS THE 'METAVERSE'?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99BnZ8js1_k
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Where are young people meeting each other in virtual worlds? a) South Korea b) Milan c) Germany
c) a) South Korea
2. The metaverse refers to online spaces that allow people to interact better than in what? a) traditional parties
b) traditional meetings c) traditional websites
c) traditional websites
3. What would you call a little cartoon of yourself in the metaverse? a) a character b) an avatar c) a mebot
b) an avatar
4. The metaverse is the next stage in the development of what? a) social media b) society c) the Internet
c) the Internet
SHORT ANSWER
1. Which cryptocurrency uses blockchain technology?
Bitcoin
2. What kind of digital assets can people buy in Decentraland?
Clothes and land
3. What are fashion brands experimenting with?
Virtual clothing
4. At the moment, most online spaces look like the inside of what?
Video games
CONVERSATION QUESTIONS
Would you prefer to live in a virtual world rather than this one? Which people do you think would prefer to live
in a virtual world?
What kind of jobs would we do in a virtual world?
How would humans act differently to each other in a virtual world? Would there be more or less violence, for
example?
Should people be punished if they commit a crime or act in an unethical way in a virtual world?
How could virtual worlds be used to punish criminals?
Is there just one reality or many? How do the different world views that exist today determine which reality we
live in?
Do poor people and rich people live in different realities? How are they different? Which reality is the most
'real’?
How do you know we are not already living in a simulated reality like in The Matrix? How would you be able to
tell the difference? How do we know if anything is real?
A man is able to choose his own afterlife after his untimely death by
having his consciousness uploaded into a virtual world.
03/08/2025
