PLENTY OF PITFALLS AWAIT ZUCKERBERG'S ‘METAVERSE' PLAN
Techlife News|01, January 2022
When Mark Zuckerberg announced ambitious plans to build the “metaverse” — a virtual reality construct intended to supplant the internet, merge virtual life with real-life and create endless new playgrounds for everyone — he promised that “you’re going to able to do almost anything you can imagine.”
PLENTY OF PITFALLS AWAIT ZUCKERBERG'S ‘METAVERSE' PLAN
That might not be such a great idea.

Zuckerberg, CEO of the company formerly known as Facebook, even renamed it Meta to underscore the significance of the effort. During his late October presentation, he was effused about going to virtual concerts with your friends, fencing with holograms of Olympic athletes, and — best of all — joining mixed-reality business meetings where some participants are physically present while others beam in from the metaverse as cartoony avatars.

But it’s just as easy to imagine dystopian downsides. Suppose the metaverse also enables a vastly larger, yet more personal version of the harassment and hate that Facebook has been slow to deal with on today’s internet? Or ends up with the same big tech companies that have tried to control the current internet serving as gatekeepers to its virtual-reality edition? Or evolves into a vast collection of virtual gated communities where every visitor is constantly monitored, analyzed, and barraged with advertisements? Or foregoes any attempt to curtail user freedom, allowing scammers, human traffickers and cybergangs to commit crimes with impunity?

Picture an online troll campaign — but one in which the barrage of nasty words you might see on social media is instead a group of angry avatars yelling at you, with your only escape being to switch off the machine, said Amie Stepanovich, executive director of Silicon Flatirons at the University of Colorado.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 01, January 2022 من Techlife News.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 01, January 2022 من Techlife News.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من TECHLIFE NEWS مشاهدة الكل
AUSTRALIA SHOULD DELAY SOCIAL MEDIA BAN FOR CHILDREN UNDER 16. BIG TECH SAYS
Techlife News

AUSTRALIA SHOULD DELAY SOCIAL MEDIA BAN FOR CHILDREN UNDER 16. BIG TECH SAYS

An advocate for major social media platforms told an Australian Senate committee that laws to ban children younger than 16 from the sites should be delayed until next year at least instead of being rushed through the Parliament.

time-read
2 mins  |
Techlife News #683
APPLE AND GOOGLE FACE UK INVESTIGATION INTO MOBILE BROWSER DOMINANCE
Techlife News

APPLE AND GOOGLE FACE UK INVESTIGATION INTO MOBILE BROWSER DOMINANCE

Apple and Google aren’t giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.

time-read
1 min  |
Techlife News #683
DIRECTV CALLS OFF ACQUISITION OF RIVAL DISH, POSSIBLY ENDING A YEARSLONG PURSUIT
Techlife News

DIRECTV CALLS OFF ACQUISITION OF RIVAL DISH, POSSIBLY ENDING A YEARSLONG PURSUIT

DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company.

time-read
1 min  |
Techlife News #683
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF RETIREMENT INCOME: FROM SAVING TO SPENDING
Techlife News

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF RETIREMENT INCOME: FROM SAVING TO SPENDING

The narrative of a miserly, Scrooge-like figure hoarding his wealth for years instead of enjoying his retirement might seem unbelievable—but unfortunately, it isn’t relegated only to fiction. It’s a cold reality for many retirees.

time-read
2 mins  |
Techlife News #683
'BUY NOW, PAY LATER' IS MORE POPULAR THAN EVER. IT CAN COST MORE THAN YOU THINK
Techlife News

'BUY NOW, PAY LATER' IS MORE POPULAR THAN EVER. IT CAN COST MORE THAN YOU THINK

More shoppers than ever are on track to use ‘buy now, pay later’ plans this holiday season, as the ability to spread out payments looks attractive at a time when Americans still feel the lingering effect of inflation and already have record-high credit card debt.

time-read
2 mins  |
Techlife News #683
IS 'GLICKED' THE NEW 'BARBENHEIMER'? 'WICKED' AND 'GLADIATOR II' COLLIDE IN THEATERS
Techlife News

IS 'GLICKED' THE NEW 'BARBENHEIMER'? 'WICKED' AND 'GLADIATOR II' COLLIDE IN THEATERS

“Barbenheimer” was a phenomenon impossible to manufacture. But, more than a year later, that hasn’t stopped people from trying to make “Glicked” — or even “Babyratu” — happen.

time-read
4 mins  |
Techlife News #683
ELECTRIC CAR SALES ARE SLOWING IN THE US AND EUROPE AS BOTH FANS AND SKEPTICS SHARE CONCERNS
Techlife News

ELECTRIC CAR SALES ARE SLOWING IN THE US AND EUROPE AS BOTH FANS AND SKEPTICS SHARE CONCERNS

While sales of electric vehicles surge in China, adoption of more environmentally friendly vehicles is stumbling in the United States and Europe as carmakers and governments struggle to meet years-old promises about affordability and charging stations.

time-read
4 mins  |
Techlife News #683
FEDERAL PROSECUTORS SEEK RECORDS FROM COMPANY THAT DEPLOYED AI WEAPONS SCANNER ON NYC SUBWAY
Techlife News

FEDERAL PROSECUTORS SEEK RECORDS FROM COMPANY THAT DEPLOYED AI WEAPONS SCANNER ON NYC SUBWAY

Federal investigators in New York are seeking records from the manufacturer of an AI-powered weapons scanner that was briefly deployed this summer in New York City’s subway system.

time-read
1 min  |
Techlife News #683
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO LOAN $6.6B TO EV MAKER RIVIAN TO BUILD GEORGIA FACTORY THAT AUTOMAKER PAUSED
Techlife News

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO LOAN $6.6B TO EV MAKER RIVIAN TO BUILD GEORGIA FACTORY THAT AUTOMAKER PAUSED

President Joe Biden's administration announced this week that the U.S. Department of Energy will make a $6.6 billion loan to Rivian Automotive to build a factory in Georgia that had stalled as the startup electric vehicle maker struggled to become profitable.

time-read
3 mins  |
Techlife News #683
RANSOMWARE ATTACK ON SOFTWARE SUPPLIER DISRUPTS OPERATIONS FOR STARBUCKS AND OTHER RETAILERS
Techlife News

RANSOMWARE ATTACK ON SOFTWARE SUPPLIER DISRUPTS OPERATIONS FOR STARBUCKS AND OTHER RETAILERS

A ransomware attack that hit a major software provider last week caused disruptions for a handful of companies over recent days, from Starbucks to U.K. grocery giant Morrisons.

time-read
1 min  |
Techlife News #683