Should Marist go Meta?
Source: Martin Sanchez, Unsplash.
The Metaverse has made waves across social media after its advertisement appearance in Super Bowl 56. The Metaverse wants to combine social networking and virtual reality technology, giving us a virtual plane to communicate, work and gather with friends from the comfort of our own homes. People are wondering what kind of impact the Metaverse will have on our society and whether it is valuable. Here is a look at what Marist students think about the Metaverse.
Marist students do not seem overly enthusiastic to try out the Metaverse. “I would consider using it once it really caught on,” said John Bunce ‘23. Most students expressed a similar sentiment, explaining they would only use it if all of their friends were on board. The Metaverse is still in early development and probably will not become extremely popular until it has a solid concept and obvious social value.
“I don’t think I would be comfortable with it,” said Grace Carney ‘24. Like Carney, many people have expressed concern over the use of the metaverse due to the criticisms that the company Meta, previously Facebook, does not properly prioritize user safety. By living a portion of our lives in the metaverse, we would be sacrificing the privacy of our conversations and meetings. The platform also wants to consolidate communication allowing people to message, call, and work from the Metaverse. This information all stored in the same place can leave people very vulnerable to identity fraud and other privacy infringements.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been communicating through applications like Zoom and Skype. Marist students are not convinced the metaverse provides a better experience than these apps. “I think it’s kind of the same in a sense,” said Isabella Antonelli ‘25. In fact, the avatar that you control in the Metaverse makes interactions feel less personal, as you can’t see the faces of the people you're interacting with.
Students also are not excited about the prospect of Metaverse use at Marist. “Most of the student body is really interested in getting back to in-person classes,” Bunce said. Marist prides itself on the small class sizes that provide students with a more personalized education. Students feel that they learn better in person and believe that the Metaverse would negatively impact their ability to focus.
Marist students believe that the Metaverse could have some value in business rather than socialization. “International business is extremely hard to coordinate sometimes,” said Bunce. With everything consolidated in the Metaverse, exchanging information and coordinating times to meet could be easier and more efficient.
Some students are concerned about the impact of online communication on society. “Covid caused two years of not really being able to talk to anyone,” Bunce said. “I believe people are not as comfortable talking to people in person.”
The increasing investment in digital communication could start to put an emphasis on the digital world over the physical world. “It could affect that [in person communication] in the future,” Carney said.
Overall Marist students seem largely underwhelmed by the Metaverse. “I do approve of innovation, but I think that where we are at right now is still good,” said Bunce.