Facebook blew it. It doesnt matter how you feel about the name change or the whole metaverse thing. Any way you slice it, Metas rebranding has been a public disaster. And its because hardly anyone can explain just what the hell the metaverse is.
Nearly everyone on the planet knows what Facebook did, but almost nobody has a clue what Meta is all about. You can blame Mark Zuckerberg, Metas marketing team, or the nihilistic nature of social media (of which, ironically, you can also blame on Mark Zuckerberg et al.,).
But the simple fact of the matter is that trying to explain the metaverse is a bigger challenge than even the most visionary of technologists could have envisioned.
Subscribe to our newsletter now for a weekly recap of our favorite AI stories in your inbox.
Further reading: The metaverse isnt a place its a mandatory upgrade for reality
If you ask futurist Jason Silva, the metaverse is the question for which we exist to answer. Its the Caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland that asks who are you? His talk at TNW Conference 2022 was a tour de force speech that laid bare exactly what the future of us entails.
His big idea involves what he describes as the entry of humanity into the Cyberdelic Age. This era of social and technological change is defined by the concepts of virtual and digital technology merging with psychedelic technology.
It sounds a little wacky from the outside looking in. But these arent metaphors. Silvas meaning is literal: theres a glut of research indicating that psychedelic substances can have a hugely positive impact on humans experiencing mental health crisis.
So where does the metaverse fit in? It depends on how you look at it. If you see the future as a place where human drones spend their lives in existential dread of reality, you might envision a world where we lose our humanity.
Its easy to picture a paradigm where we waste our lives away inside of goofy-looking face helmets made by the same company that propelled Candy Crush and Farmville into billions of peoples lives.
That future is so close you can taste it. Its just a few steps away from where we are right now. But, as Silva told the TNW audience, we tend to view the future through the frame of our past:
Human beings, our brains, evolved in a world that was linear and that was local and now we live in a world that is global and exponential.
He explained how just 25 years ago the idea of having a computer in your pocket that was slimmer than a deck of cards and more powerful than a $60 million mainframe from the 1970s would have seemed incredible.
And, in another 25 years, its likely well reach incredible new planes of technology in the fields of virtual reality, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence.
When you combine those things future technology and psychedelics you get the Cyberdelic Age.
That sounds catchy, but whats the reality? According to Silva, its seeing yourself inside out.
And thats the answer to the question where does the metaverse come in? Silva treated the audience to a series of videos which did an amazing job describing the concepts in play you should check out his YouTube channel to see what Im talking about.
But the gist is this: the metaverse is a new layer for reality that will allow us to interact with each other in a much clearer and intimate way.
Silva asked the audience to imagine the world before language was invented, in hopes it would shine some light on how vastly different the future could be perhaps even the near-future, thanks to the exponential nature of technological advancements.
Today, modern communication involves video chats, text messages, and phone calls. In the metaverse all those things will still exist, but the additional layer will be our ability to invite others into our thoughts.
How do you explain to your therapist why a nightmare that seems innocuous to everyone else is so scary to you? How do you describe PTSD to someone without reliving the stories that caused it?
And, just as importantly, how do you describe to someone else how beautiful they are to you? How do you explain the way that sunshine makes you feel? How do you share your most treasured thoughts, the memories that define where you came from and how you became the person you are, to those who cannot see them as they are inside your head?
Today, people believe that AI is on the verge of sentience. Weve seen the human genome cracked and, as Silva pointed out to the crowd, modern vaccines literally work like a code that tells the human body how to fight disease.
The metaverse is a place where AI will be able to show other people exactly what we see and feel inside of our brains. Its a place where we can finally invite others to see things from our point of view.
It is a place where, as Silva puts it, we can go from making art to being art.
And if we can picture a Black Mirror future where humans exchange the spark of us that makes us special for a dystopian nightmare where physical contact is replaced by mindless consumerism, then we can also imagine a better one.
Jason Silva paints the believable and achievable notion that all of this technology, combined with a global social paradigm shift towards the most efficacious treatments for the catastrophic mental health pandemic, could result in a transhuman society where everyone of us has the opportunity to thrive.
It isnt every day a futurist explains how Moores Law, Darwins Theory of Evolution, virtual reality and psychedelic substances will one day combine to form the culmination of humanitys endeavors toward happiness.
But, then again, the TNW Conference doesnt happen every day either. Click here to get ready for TNW 2023.
Originally posted here:
Fear-extinction and the end of self-loathing in the metaverse - TNW
- Trans human rights activist named on BBC's 100 Women list - PinkNews - November 26th, 2023 [November 26th, 2023]
- Life by 2100: Space settlements, education, and the future of warfare - Interesting Engineering - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Over 60000 Lives Lost To Farmers-Herders Clashes - Speaker Abass - - TVCNews - August 30th, 2023 [August 30th, 2023]
- AI and the potential challenges to human dignity - The Tablet - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- The World Is Toxic. Welcome to the Metabolic Era - WIRED - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- 12 Movies That Accidentally Predicted the Future (And It's Terrifying) - Startefacts - June 28th, 2023 [June 28th, 2023]
- ChatGPT on Mars: How AI can help scientists study the Red Planet - Space.com - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- How far-right groups like the Oath Keepers are exploiting climate ... - Grist - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Encourage the marginalised to partake in district level elections ... - BusinessGhana - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Everything We Know About The Alien TV Series, FX's Small Screen ... - /Film - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The First Wave of Applied Transhumanism - Discovery Institute - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Heres Another Transhumanist Dream Come True - Discovery Institute - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Google Co-founder Wants to Build AI as a Digital God - Answers In Genesis - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Hereford candidate warns of 'trans-human revolution' abetted by ... - Hereford Times - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- An Opportunity to Support Aging Research with Gitcoin - Lifespan.io News - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Silicon Valley Is Bad But ByteDance Is Much Worse - The Federalist - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- What is the relationship between wokeism, Marxism, and liberalism? - Catholic World Report - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Transhuman - Wikipedia - January 23rd, 2023 [January 23rd, 2023]
- The Transhuman Revolution: What it is and How to Prepare for its Arrival - January 23rd, 2023 [January 23rd, 2023]
- Transgender, transhuman: technological advances offer increased choices ... - January 23rd, 2023 [January 23rd, 2023]
- Transhuman - TV Tropes - January 23rd, 2023 [January 23rd, 2023]
- Transhuman code | A new initiative that highlights the growing ... - January 19th, 2023 [January 19th, 2023]
- Transhumanism: What It Is, and Why It Is So Fundamentally Wrong - January 19th, 2023 [January 19th, 2023]
- Your Fault: A Climate Crisis Weather Nightmare Before Christmas - January 2nd, 2023 [January 2nd, 2023]
- Martine Rothblatt - Wikipedia - November 25th, 2022 [November 25th, 2022]
- Red Pill University | Beyond the Matrix - November 25th, 2022 [November 25th, 2022]
- China Runs Police Outpost In New York City - technocracy.news - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Trilateral Commission: The secret circle that controls governments - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Steve Jackson Games Forums - Powered by vBulletin - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Elon Musk: Here Comes 'Optimus' - technocracy.news - October 28th, 2022 [October 28th, 2022]
- Biden Builds Transhuman Cyborg Army using Immigrants! - October 28th, 2022 [October 28th, 2022]
- What Is Transhumanism? - Human Life International - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Ageing is a technical problem that can be reversed, Dubai Future Forum told - The National - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Ai-Da the robot and the myth of AI - Spiked - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam to release a day early in Indian theatres - Ottplay - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- WISeKey Strengthens its Technology Portfolio Across Cybersecurity, IoT, NFT and the Metaverse ... - Ottumwacourier - August 10th, 2022 [August 10th, 2022]
- Madison writer Meghan O'Gieblyn explores the connection between technology and religion - Isthmus - August 10th, 2022 [August 10th, 2022]
- What Happened to Royce White? Mother Jones - Mother Jones - August 10th, 2022 [August 10th, 2022]
- The "resurrection" of the dead pigs, the promise of progress and the source of questions - - News84Media.com - August 10th, 2022 [August 10th, 2022]
- Letter: Criticism of school district plan misleading | Letters To The Editor | newburyportnews.com - The Daily News of Newburyport - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- 12 Best Sci-Fi Games On PS4 And PS5 - Tech News Today - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- Mutants are Coming to the MCU, But Where Does Krakoa Fit In? - Gizmodo - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- Transhumanism to humankind's rescue? A new book claims we face a 'make or break' century, so let the technological remake begin - Genetic Literacy... - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- All Posts - Latest News - McAllisterTV - July 9th, 2022 [July 9th, 2022]
- Chile Bans Discrimination Against Mutants and Genetically Altered ... - July 9th, 2022 [July 9th, 2022]
- Biden Proves Soaring Gas Prices Are Intentional To Transition To ... - July 9th, 2022 [July 9th, 2022]
- The Most Powerful Characters In The Boys Ranked - /Film - July 9th, 2022 [July 9th, 2022]
- Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Just Showcased One Of Its Most Effective Metaphors Yet - /Film - June 20th, 2022 [June 20th, 2022]
- FDA Making COVID Vax Decision Based on a Study of 10 - Verve Times - June 20th, 2022 [June 20th, 2022]
- 2022-05-16 | NDAQ:WKEY | Press Release | WISeKey International Holding AG - Stockhouse - May 21st, 2022 [May 21st, 2022]
- Russian Colonel threatens Elon Musk, says you will be accountable - Euro Weekly News - May 11th, 2022 [May 11th, 2022]
- Venice Biennale 2022: Man's relationship with the planet gets surreal - Euronews - April 25th, 2022 [April 25th, 2022]
- Venice Biennale 2022: the worst art on show in the city - Art Newspaper - April 25th, 2022 [April 25th, 2022]
- Who is Kwan Ha in the Halo show? Here's the character's story - Win.gg - April 11th, 2022 [April 11th, 2022]
- Top 20 Companies That Rule The Web - technocracy.news - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- The Brian Jonestown Massacre reveal new album is on the way | Gigwise - Gigwise - March 27th, 2022 [March 27th, 2022]
- WEF Global Risks Report 2022 Imagines ... - technocracy.news - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- Major LGBTQ+ organisations spark international review of the EHRC - Stonewall - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- Government to set up Military Base in the Afram Plains - GhanaWeb - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- The platform for a transhuman future: LABORATORY ... - February 7th, 2022 [February 7th, 2022]
- X22Reports: The Storm is Upon Us, Green ... - Before It's News - February 3rd, 2022 [February 3rd, 2022]
- When hateful words arrive at the door - TheRecord.com - February 3rd, 2022 [February 3rd, 2022]
- Alert over killings of human rights defenders and journalists in the Americas in first month of 2022 - Amnesty International - February 3rd, 2022 [February 3rd, 2022]
- The best of Manfred Thierry Mugler's theatrical, otherworldly fashion - i-D - January 28th, 2022 [January 28th, 2022]
- CEO of Pfizer arrested, charged with fraud media ... - January 19th, 2022 [January 19th, 2022]
- Noah Hawley outlines the big themes of his Alien TV show - Winter Is Coming - January 7th, 2022 [January 7th, 2022]
- Matrix Online may have perished in 2009, but it still exists as a ghost - BollyInside - December 19th, 2021 [December 19th, 2021]
- Will artificial intelligence achieve godlike power? Wallace B. Henry asks, Who Will Rule the Coming 'Gods'? - Denison Forum - December 19th, 2021 [December 19th, 2021]
- Vatican Hosts Conference Touching on Transhumanism - December 10th, 2021 [December 10th, 2021]
- WISekeys Founder and CEO Carlos Moreira was Interviewed by - November 28th, 2021 [November 28th, 2021]
- Doctor Issues Dire Warning to the ... - Technocracy News - November 28th, 2021 [November 28th, 2021]
- Vinegar Syndrome Celebrates Black Friday With Secret Title Reveals and 50% Off Most Releases! - Bloody Disgusting - November 27th, 2021 [November 27th, 2021]
- The Horror Movies Coming to Netflix in December Include 'Tremors' and the 'Final Destination' Films - Bloody Disgusting - November 27th, 2021 [November 27th, 2021]
- ECB survey shows euro zone inflation just below goal in 2022 - Yahoo Finance UK - October 30th, 2021 [October 30th, 2021]
- Succession Returns, with no real people involved - WION - October 21st, 2021 [October 21st, 2021]
- Proof That The Vaxxed Are No Longer Human - Luciferian ... - October 3rd, 2021 [October 3rd, 2021]
- RUBY 9100M x adidas Originals Ozrah Release Info | HYPEBEAST - October 3rd, 2021 [October 3rd, 2021]
- Ming-Na Wen & SNLs Keith Ian Raywood Reflect On 9/11 At Creative Arts Emmys: Twenty Years Ago Completely Changed Our Lives - Deadline - September 12th, 2021 [September 12th, 2021]
- Jeff Bezos is reportedly funding Altos Labs, a new anti-ageing venture aiming to cheat death - Screen Shot - September 10th, 2021 [September 10th, 2021]
- 13 Most Extreme Body Modifications - CBS News - July 27th, 2021 [July 27th, 2021]