The Metaverse Is a New Word for an Old Idea

- In the first six months of 2022, the word metaverse appeared in regulatory filings more than 1,100 times. The previous year saw 260 mentions. The preceding two decades? Fewer than a dozen in total.- The metaverse, a 30-year-old term but nearly century-old idea, is forming around us. Every few decades, a platform shift occurs—such as that from mai... See more

The metaverse feels corporate, inescapable, mandatory, whereas good technology should be liberating and exciting.

Since Facebook rebranded as Meta, the idea of the metaverse has been consumed by a kind of ahistorical hype cycle. Brands are flooding into the space and people are issuing broad proclamations about what a virtual world is supposed to look like. There are also plenty who are dismissing the metaverse as “something nobody asked for,” but as Au’s expe... See more

The metaverse will no doubt bring many benefits, joys, and human advancements, while also raising additional questions about our self-conception and what it actually means to 'advance' as humans. The metaverse is compelling because it asks us to more viscerally engage with what we believe about our bodies — about the paradigms we reify as we scaffo... See more