It is predicted that the scourges of digital life are likely to carry over as the world plugs into the metaverse.
Key concerns centre on privacy, toxic behaviour, and the protection of minors.
Facebook, which now operates beneath the Meta Platforms parent corp, is expected to be a leader in the metaverse economy.
The social network has, infamously, had multiple run-ins with policymakers and regulators over privacy and data protection.
Fines for ‘data mining’ have amassed into the billions of dollars in recent years.
Virtual worlds (or ‘metaverses’, as they’re more fashionable known as) are going to simply see the extension of such problems into the new, increasingly immersive arena, that’s according to digital economy expert Dorian Banks.
Banks, who runs Looking Glass Labs, an NFT marketing firm described as a ‘digital agency for the Metaverse’, told Proactive: “The only way to really monetise a metaverse such as Facebook's Meta is via the users… and the only way to get that is to mine that data.”
Another major challenge in the metaverse will also be familiar to social networks, Banks highlighted.
“I think the biggest problem and that is similar to bulletin boards or online forums is that of trolls or generally disruptive people coming there to wreak havoc.
“So you’ve got this real moderator problem,” Banks added.
There’s also the worry over the deterioration of real-world social skills and the potential impacts on the mental wellbeing of children.
Age-control and regulation should be a key and imminent focal point for policymakers, according to Banks.
Metaverses should have similar controls as video games and movies, to protect kids from being exposed to harmful content.
“I think the big problem is age protection.
“You want to make sure that children aren't getting wrapped up in situations that are unsafe or bad for them.”
Already, there are concerns that many of the world’s children have missed out on valuable social skills as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, which pushed (almost) everyone’s social occasions online.
This could worsen with the advancements and growing popularity of the metaverse.
Banks admits it’s mainly hardcore gamers who use the metaverse currently but he predicts it will go fully mainstream “by the end of this year or next year.”
“Removing actual social interaction is only going to be amplified further as they transition deeper into a virtual world experience,” Banks said.
Meanwhile, the problems don’t stop there as environmental and social impacts – concerns that particularly resonate with key early tech adopters – add to the list of challenges.
Extremely large amounts of power will be required to fuel metaverses, and sophisticated computing kit will also be commonplace.
All of which likely widen inequalities between first-world countries and the rest of the world.
Those with poor internet connections and/or unstable power will not be able to use the metaverse even if they’d like to.
That’s not to mention the high energy usage required, which is a prominent concern in society with much of the world seeking to emit net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, as well as the ban of crypto mining in several countries due to environmental worries.
So, even a metaverse expert, who makes a living from developing these fake worlds, is concerned with what the future may hold for future generations, as well as the damage huge companies and online trolls could bring to society.