The metaverse peddles deliverance from the difficulties, connections, and triumphs that make us human.
In a fateful October 2021 Facebook conference, founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company would henceforth be known as Meta. The change meant to reflect a new, permanent focus on connecting people in the metaverse, a concept that remains contested but generally refers to an Internet-driven universe that uses virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to immerse users in computer-generated environments as digitally reimbodied avatars. Donning Meta’s Oculus VR headset might transport the user anywhere from a humdrum, pixelated conference room with coworkers to a concert with friends for which they’ve purchased tickets, or to fantasy worlds that unlock possibilities unknown in the physical domain. Zuckerberg heralded a near-limitless new realm, proclaiming: “You’re going to be able to do almost anything you can imagine.”
