Should I be Worried About the Metaverse?

The idea of being able to escape a world with less-than-ideal circumstances and transport yourself into a world of prosperity is certainly enticing. However, navigating this modern concept that is continuously evolving can become overwhelming. But with such a revolutionary concept in technology, what’s there to be worried about?

With Facebook’s recent renaming to Meta and their shifted focus to the pioneering development of the Metaverse, there are some things that warrant cause for worry. From risking a monopolised platform to problems with privacy and digital addiction, it’s important to be aware of potential issues going forward.

In this guide, we’re going to inform you of the potential issues you should be concerned about and how they can be remedied.

What You Need to be Concerned About

With regard to the Metaverse, there are three things, in particular, we want you to be aware of. With Meta’s recent focus on bringing the metaverse to life, there’s a significant risk of a monopolised experience. Beyond that, Meta has had numerous issues with data leaks and privacy breaches in the past.

To top it off, just like with any other new digital platform, there’s also a risk of more developed electronic addiction amongst younger generations. Now, let’s discuss each of these potential risks a little further.

Navigating a Monopolised Metaverse

Beginning with the potential for monopolisation within the metaverse, we need to discuss the Meta brand. Like Facebook, Meta became a billion-dollar social media and tech company. As such, they’ve essentially swept the market in terms of other social media platforms and have pioneered the way in social networking.

Because of that, they have the power to control the direction in which the metaverse goes. There won’t be much diversity in how the metaverse runs unless more tech companies begin developing software and other requirements to break into the metaverse.

Problems With Maintaining Privacy

The next factor that is cause for concern, and also stems from potential monopolisation, is that Facebook/Meta has quite a negative track record when it comes to data privacy and security breaches. Perhaps the most well-known instance came in 2018 with the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Cambridge Analytica was a consulting firm with a specialisation in using data science to help support political campaigns. On Facebook’s part, the tech company was responsible for being complicit in allowing Cambridge Analytica to steal and retain personal data from more than 90 million Facebook users.

This scandal isn’t the only dark mark on Meta’s record, though. From Beacon in 2007 to instant personalisation in 2010. Facebook's users everywhere were victims of the illegal use of personal information.

Digital Addiction is Possible

Our final concern is with the possibility of digital addiction through the metaverse. Although the use of the metaverse can certainly bring solace to those who use it to escape a stressful lifestyle, it can very quickly become an addiction. This problem poses a much higher risk to younger generations as their minds are still developing.

Excessive use of electronics has been linked to a number of mental health disorders that range from depression and anxiety to psychosomatic systems in some cases. However, exploring the metaverse shouldn’t be written off completely. There are a number of success stories that come from the use of electronics with those who suffer from PTSD and other mental disorders.

Parting Thoughts

Before we leave you, we’d like to remind you that the metaverse isn’t inherently bad. However, it’s good to hold concern over what can go wrong with a technology that is still being developed. If we don’t express concerns, how can we expect it to grow into a safe and stable technology for future generations to enjoy?

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