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Mainly clear. Low 49F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph..
Mainly clear. Low 49F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
Updated: November 7, 2021 @ 5:35 pm

From Welles to Roddenberry, science fiction has long been credited for its ability to predict future technology. While it would be wonderful if this were true, more often modern technology is inspired by science fiction rather than being a result of prediction.
Take the idea of the “metaverse” for instance, the latest Silicon Valley buzzword. You may have seen this word floated in conjunction with the social media giant Facebook recently. It may have stuck out to you as strange technobabble. But science fiction readers have long been familiar with the idea of the metaverse, and as most techies tend to overlap with science fiction readers it is no surprise that the idea is becoming a reality.
The idea of a metaverse can be traced back to the 1992 Neal Stephenson novel “Snow Crash” which coined the term and first popularized the idea of an online space where people could interact in simulations via virtual/augmented reality.
Since Stephenson’s original novel, the metaverse as a concept has grown in popularity, most recently being featured in the wildly popular books “Ready Player One” and “Ready Player Two.” Since then, real world tech companies have also started to develop their own metaverses — most recently Facebook has gotten in on the game.
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and CEO, is betting on the future of the internet, he believes that future lies in the metaverse — an online space where users can interact in more three-dimensional ways.
Zuckerberg isn’t alone, other companies are betting on that the future of connectivity lies in the metaverse. Epic, the video game company that created the perennially popular Fortnite, has been slowing transforming said game into a metaverse environment.
Nearly every creative IP imaginable already exists in Fortnite, and with the latest changes to the social space the game offers up much more than simple gameplay. Users can interact, chat and even watch live events like concerts and trailers in this virtual space.
The metaverse isn’t just a concept — it’s already happening. Facebook is just throwing its weight behind the idea in an effort to be one of the first out of the gate.
Eventually, the goal of the metaverse is to replace traditional internet spaces, creating a more immersive experienced where users can shop, attended events and hang out with friends all within a virtual/augmented setting.
There are of course a lot of questions that come with this push toward metaverses, particularly when it comes to a company like Facebook. For starters, what does this level of immersion mean for our privacy?
Social media sites are already collecting an increasingly alarming amount of data about us, what happens when we invite our bodies into these virtual spaces to be collected and catalogued? I suppose time will tell, but if we’ve learned anything from the current internet age, hopefully it is to be cautious about how much of ourselves we give to technology.
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