Let's pre-emptively stop pretending the metaverse is impressive
The company formerly known as Facebook offered a new peek into its metaverse on Friday in a video tweeted by Mike Schroepfer, Meta's chief technology officer. The clip has a lot in common with a previous metaverse video starring an avatar of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. That is: It's bizarre and a bit pathetic, and we should all pre-emptively refuse to act impressed.
Have a look for yourself, and ponder two points as you do: One, why are there no legs? The video is supposed to be a preview of a Meta-made game called Horizon Worlds, which is currently in invite-only beta. The game's Twitter banner depicts characters with legs, but everyone in its tweeted screenshots is cut off at the waist. Why? Are legs too hard for Meta to draw? What is happening here?
Two — and more importantly — why is Meta pretending this is good? Why would anyone pretend this is good? Why would Schroepfer and his conversation partner, another Meta exec named Vivek Sharma, act like they're amazed this simplistic video game can move its characters into a second room? Mario Kart could do that ... in 1996.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But beyond the underwhelming function, why would anyone who has ever had a normal human interaction want to spend time in this childish take on a Zoom call? Why would adults play along with this sad little make-believe? Who wants to do business as a floating doll? Should I negotiate for a raise as a digital toy?
Meta talks a big game about changing our lives, but all the available evidence says that just like the company's flagship product, it would be a change for the worse.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
-
The Onion is having a very ironic laugh with Infowars
The Explainer The satirical newspaper is purchasing the controversial website out of bankruptcy
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'Rahmbo, back from Japan, will be looking for a job? Really?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What's next for electric vehicles under Trump?
Today's Big Question And what does that mean for Tesla's Elon Musk?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
What Trump's win could mean for Big Tech
Talking Points The tech industry is bracing itself for Trump's second administration
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Social media ban: will Australia's new age-based rules actually work?
Talking Point PM Anthony Albanese's world-first proposal would bar children under 16 even if they have parental consent, but experts warn that plan would be ineffective and potentially exacerbate dangers
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is the world ready for Tesla's new domestic robots?
Talking Points The debut of Elon Musk's long-promised "Optimus" at a Tesla event last week has renewed debate over the role — and feasibility — of commercial automatons
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Social media could come with a warning label
Talking Points Do Facebook and TikTok need the notifications that come on cigarettes?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How AI is going to change the Google search experience
Talking Points Summaries are the new links
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Should AI have rights?
Talking Points Technology is becoming smarter
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Is the AI bubble deflating?
Today's Big Question Growing skepticism and high costs prompt reconsideration
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How social media is limiting political content
The Explainer Critics say Meta's 'extraordinary move' to have less politics in users' feeds could be 'actively muzzling civic action'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published