The future of the other way around looks shakier than anyone can imagine. Tech companies that have completely adopted the concept, such as Facebook-turned-Meta and disney– are faced with the reality of building on a concept that apparently already exists but has not gained any real popularity. Even members of the video game industry, which has been exploring the field for years through virtual worlds such as Second Life, to doubt that it will one day fulfill its promise. But in this nascent stage, there’s also potential: if the metaverse really takes off, people building it now could avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.
As it stands, the metaverse is “not set yet,” he says Michaela Mantegna, an affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard. Because of this, it may still be possible to limit the rampant toxicity that has infiltrated the web and social media. The metaverse is still tied to its more organic roots, and if those who populate it – be they people or businesses – can remember the lessons learned about online safety and moderation, the metaverse could be a less horrible place. Put another way, “we’ve already ruined one internet,” Mantegna said at a recent panel at the Game Developer Conference, but there’s hope for one to come.
Early metaverse experiences, such as Linden Lab’s Second Life, allow users to explore identities and build new worlds. These ideas became the backbone for platforms such as Roblox and VRChat, which turn devices into fulcrums for social interaction and create community. More recently, as companies like Meta moved to transform virtual spaces like Horizon Worlds into mega platforms, those smaller communities felt pushed aside. There is less responsibility for a user to create their own world; instead they navigate the clumsy, legless future submitted by companies.
Intimidation and other problems have inevitably crept into these spaces. Technology will be abused, says Mantegna, and it’s critical to think early about ways it could be abused. At the moment there is a huge lack of transparency about how the metaverse will work. For example, any system that uses algorithms is vulnerable to prejudice, whether economically disadvantaged users, people of color, marginalized communities or others. It’s also still unclear what the true ecological impact of the metaverse will be. And then there are the sticky questions about surveillance and data privacy. “How are we going to make sure we’re not manipulated in these spaces?” says Mantegna.
Some of these issues could be addressed with robust and enforceable laws and ethical guidelines. Regulation probably shouldn’t be left to the companies behind metaverse efforts. But as other platforms have shown, laws can’t match the speed of the internet. You don’t have to look far for examples; earlier this year, streamers it was deepfaked found their options for justice severely limited.
Most legislation that attempts to address these issues seeks to apply “meatspace laws” to web issues, said Ryan Black, an attorney with a focus on the video game industry who appeared on the GDC panel alongside Mantegna. Plus, Black tells WIRED, they’re too “territorial” to meaningfully influence any given platform. “In the absence of regulations and laws, we have essentially transferred control and authority to the operator through their terms and conditions,” he says. The relationship people have with the modern Internet is “very much a provider-to-user,” he says.