The short answer is yes.
If you haven’t heard the news yet, Facebook has recently changed it’s name to Meta, and they are building the metaverse. It all happened so fast and just like that the internet as we know it will change as we are moving to web 3.0 But is this good for our mental health and privacy?
It seems like a lot of concerns that people have about the metaverse is that it is built by a company that has a lot of privacy issues, Facebook, well now known as Meta. I mean that’s one issue to consider but when we are going through the rush of using the new product that they will introduce, I think who makes it won’t be a big deal as we make it now because, let’s face it, we know they have issues but we are still using their current products like Facebook and Instagram.
Let’s face it, we know they have issues but we are still using their current products like Facebook and Instagram.
However, with the metaverse I’m more concerned with the fact that we will be living most of our lives in this virtual world so we ourselves will be giving away our privacy to Facebook. Yes, we will be at the safety of our homes, but our interest, interactions, conversations and all of us will be lived in the metaverse, which means Meta will have more data about us than they do now.
Meta will know our likes, dislikes and everything about us from our avatar’s interaction than they do now, which to be honest, we will be more like giving it to them for free by using their new product.
I personally think the invention is smart for work, gaming and education. I have watched few videos on the Meta channel to believe that it is good, for just those three.
However, I don’t think it is good for our social life, and that includes entertainment, fitness and interactions. For work as an option for those who love to work from home, for gaming and education because of the experience, but as humans making all of our social interaction and contact virtual in every area has negative consequences on our mental health and well-being too just like we have seen and lived with those consequences during the pandemic.
We have so many issues that are a result of the introduction of social media, web 2.0, and we have so many organizations and efforts in an attempt to curb those consequences. There is bullying, mental health crisis, suicide, comparison, data, privacy issues, etc.
Metaverse seems like it will bring new challenges or almost like bring those already existing challenges to the next level. For starters, we are humans who also need physical interactions for our feelings and emotions, and if we can do everything at the safety of our homes, I mean we are not forced to do that, but these tools are built to be addictive so at the end of the day we might find ourselves living our years off of our comfortable beds and couch.
We are humans who also need physical interactions for our feelings and emotions.
I know there are benefits, but I also think that’s how most things are, they offer both pros and cons. It is important that these issues are addressed before the product is introduced. It is also important that we learn from the negatives of social media and we ‘live’ in the metaverse cautiously as we fully embrace the benefits that might come with it.
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