Find out what the metaverse is, what comes on Facebook 1:46
(CNN Spanish) -
Despite the investigations and scandals that currently surround Facebook, the social media giant is ready to share more details of its metaverse or metauniverse, a virtual space in which users (through avatars digital) can walk and interact with each other in real time.
Facebook is expected to present more details on its metaverse during its annual virtual and augmented reality conference, Facebook Connect, to be held virtually this Thursday at 1:00 pm ET.
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Facebook Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has indicated that the company's next step is to become a "metaverse company."
"Beyond Reels and commerce, I also want to share some thoughts on our long-term efforts to build the next computing platform and bring the metaverse to life. This is an important investment area for us and an important part of our strategy in the future, "Zuckerberg said during the conference to present the company's third-quarter financial results.
Zuckerberg explained that offering a sense of presence was "the holy grail of online social experiences" and indicated that this is what he has wanted to create, even before starting with Facebook.
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The metaverse is a virtual experience well exemplified in the fictional film "Ready Player One" by Steven Spielberg, where users enter the virtual reality universe and find everything they could wish for in real life.
For example, sitting around a virtual conference table with colleagues from all over the world, instead of looking at their 2D faces on a Zoom video call.
And then walk to a virtual Starbucks to meet your friends, who live on the other side of the country.
"If you are in the metaverse every day, you will need clothes and digital tools, and different experiences," explained Zuckerberg, who indicated that the metaverse will offer not only a social experience but will also provide opportunities for commerce.
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While Zuckerberg is aware that the metaverse as he envisions it is far from being a tangible reality, the company has been laying the foundations for some time.
For example, Facebook recently announced the investment in Horizon, a virtual social world that remains in a private beta testing stage.
In terms of hardware, the company has its Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality glasses and "Ray-Ban Stories" smart glasses.
"There is a whole ecosystem. We are building several generations of our virtual reality and augmented reality products at the same time, as well as a new operating system and development model, a digital commerce platform, content studios and, of course, a platform. social, "Zuckerberg added.
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Proponents of the metaverse say there could eventually be huge business potential.
A completely new platform on which to sell digital goods and services.
It could also have benefits on the way humans interact using technology.
"What we are really doing is discovering ways to add technology to our lives to improve them and improve our communication with other people," said Avi Bar-Zeev, founder of virtual reality and augmented reality consultancy RealityPrime and former Apple employee, Amazon. and Microsoft, where he worked on HoloLens.
"It's not just about conquering a whole new world."
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But there are also a number of concerns about how the metaverse could be used or exploited.
Some in the space worry that an ad-based business model creates, on the one hand, people who have and can afford to pay for an ad-free helmet or metaverse experience, replicating inequalities present in the real world.
"I don't want to see a world where we segregate people into those who can afford to get a better experience and those who can't," Bar-Zeev said.
He added that online harassment could become more intense when users are able to assault each other's virtual bodies, rather than simply exchanging unpleasant words on a screen.
Data privacy and security could also become bigger concerns when "more of our lives, our data, our work, our investments now exist in purely virtual form," Ball said.
And other issues, like misinformation and radicalization, could also get worse in the metaverse.
"If you can now replace someone's entire reality with an alternate reality, you can make them believe just about anything," Bar-Zeev said.
"Everyone's responsibility on the field is to prevent bad things as much as possible and to encourage good things."
Clare Duffy and Alejandra Ramos of CNN contributed to this report.
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