As Wright himself said, it could have been “either a pretty big success, or a miserable failure.” We can add to this that every new launch’s fate depends partly on luck, and partly on the convergence of infinite factors: sociological, technological, economic....

In 2021 a virtual Zuckerberg announced to the world that Facebook was changing its name to Meta, and introduced the concept of the metaverse, and we haven’t stopped hearing the word since. When that happened, a speculative debate was opened about what the metaverse would be, what it would look like, and who would be there.

This new virtual world comes with promises of an interconnected future in which we can move freely. To be where, when, and with whomever we want to be; to go beyond the recreational sphere and broaden the horizons of conventional video games into any area of our lives.

WHY THE METAVERSE COULD GO FAR

The first factor is a change in the mentality of the world’s population. The pandemic was a litmus test for many people and companies, shaping and changing our way of living, working, and relating to each other. It accelerated digitalization and spotlighted the advantages and disadvantages of “remote living.”

We realized how many things we could do remotely, when necessary, and how much we missed physical contact under other circumstances. According to the MIT Technology Review magazine in its article “TR10: La vida en remoto que ha llegado para quedarse” (“TR10: The remote life that has come to stay”), if we weigh up the good and the bad, the scale tips towards the remote side.

A second factor is video games. They’ve reached people of all ages, with worlds and storylines on a wide variety of themes having been created: Fortnite, Animal Crossing, Grand Theft Auto... video games have become one of the most important audiovisual products in recent years, and are the most popular option for cultural and audiovisual leisure in Spain. And take note: we didn’t make that up… the Spanish Association of Video Games (AEVI) says so. The same annual study tells us that in 2021 the video game industry had a turnover of 1.795 billion euros, with more than 18 million users in Spain (take the money and run).

And, of course, a third factor is, once again, the cha-ching: the ability to earn money form virtual spaces thanks to the virtual economy in the form of NFTs, tokens, and cryptocurrencies. This makes everyone want to have a virtual presence and to be the gateway to this magical world.

It is interesting to see how the most cutting-edge technology for the development of infrastructure (Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Virtual Reality, extended reality, mixed reality, 5G, etc.) is being intertwined with art, culture, and creativity in all its splend (unimaginable worlds, beings that seem to be taken from a Bosch painting, fashion shows, and an endless number of events attended by the masses in different forms and formats).

WHY MIGHT IT NOT BE SO SUCCESSFUL?

This concept, rescued from the past and 80s nostalgia, is now all the rage. Social trends, financial interests, and technology are looking each other squarely in the eyes and holding hands to commence this new virtual adventure. But (because in life there is always a but), still at the center of the debate is whether it will be possible to resolve points of friction and reconcile individual interests to create a large global community.

At this very conceptual point, the foundations of what the metaverse will really be, are still taking shape. In terms of the fundamental design premises of the metaverse, we want to highlight these 5:

• 24/7. The metaverse will always exist, and life there doesn’t stop, even if you take off your glasses.
• Creativity. People and Artificial Intelligence participate actively, as they create and react to interactions. The role shifts from that of spectator to that of protagonist and creator.
• Extension. The metaverse will be part of our lives, interactions, and daily activities; it will be an extension of our reality.
• Interoperability. Your avatar will be able to move freely. Although, as explained by Chema Alonso, Chief Digital Officer at Telefónica, “…the metaverse won’t be a reality until the worlds being created are universally interoperable….”
• Unique. Interoperability makes the metaverse one platform, rather than many divided, unconnected ones, which is what we now have.

The famous evolution of the Internet will not materialize if there is no interoperable world. That is the question. Is what we said about moving from one place to the other without having to constantly change platforms true?

Things are taking shape. There are already multiple initiatives that are gaining steam to bring about collaborative competition – and that alone is already a big step. Of course, we can also see how many platforms call their product “metaverse” without actually meeting all the conditions for this. Even so, as this concept has emerged from the video game industry, through the main players in it (Roblox, Decentraland, Horizon Worlds, etc.), we may well have an experience similar to the one they propose for the evolution of the Internet.

BUT… WHAT KIND OF METAVERSE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE IN?

There’s another side to the coin in terms of this look at the metaverse’s creative potential. What world do you want to live in? This is no longer just about entertainment and “Aha!” moments. The evolution of the Internet will go deep into every area of our lives: from our work, to how we travel, to governance models, educational channels, knowledge, etc.

We must take a critical point of view and reflect on basic issues so as not to precipitate the kind of negative behaviors that we’ve already detected in society and on the Web 2.0. Do we want to enjoy free products and give all our data away, in return, to private entities with certain interests of their own? Should we have safe public spaces with ethical standards and responsible design? Or should we leave it all to the users in a completely decentralized way?

The development of the metaverse, as proposed by companies like Nvidia, Meta, Microsoft, Google, etc., runs the risk of repeating the same mistakes that were made in the past with the development of Web 2.0: addiction to social media, mechanisms deliberately designed to get people hooked on screens, etc.

In these speculative conversations about the future, it’s important to put ethical standards and responsible design at the center of the debate, as well as to consider safe, public alternatives. The design world must make the commitment to rethink what kind of metaverse is desirable for all the people who want to be there, and how all that creative potential can be harnessed to do good.

TECHNOLOGICAL CREATIVITY TO DO GOOD

We see actions that give us faith in humanity, such as The Uncensored Library, devised by the DDB agency, together with the NGO Reporters Without Borders, which has a noble objective: to take the freedom of the press to countries where the Internet is censored and reporters are being persecuted. They created a virtual library free of censorship in the only place where the government has not yet entered: Minecraft. Inside this digital architectural work, anyone anywhere in the world can freely access texts censored by different governments.

We don’t know if the metaverse will be a single platform, or there will be many platforms and ways in, but what’s clear is that if we understand society and technology properly, and we put our creativity to work, we can design and build worlds that we really want to be in.