- Virtual worlds may see decline in toxic activities in contrast to social media.
- People can join events in the metaverse from different corners of the world.
Protests do not necessarily lead to a peaceful end. In fact, protests leave behind indelible mental and physical scars on people. The metaverse could soften the impact of potentially violent protests. Wistaverse and Don’t Extradite Assange, who are organizing a campaign for Julian Assange, talked to The National, an Abu Dhabi-based newspaper, regarding the event in the metaverse.
It’s About Keeping the Momentum
Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, is standing on the verge of extradition to the United States. Supporters across the world are appealing to authorities to halt the move. Wistaverse, an initiative for people looking to organize campaigns for causes, and Don’t Extradite Assange, a campaign to support the Australian editor’s extradition to the U.S., will go live in The Sandbox, a metaverse game, for Free Assange Rally today.
According to one of the Wistaverse co-founders, Jules Alcazar, as told to The National, “The answer to that is protest is also mainly a social event where people with a common vision get together.” Additionally, he says, “Having everyone together in one place is also a great opportunity to go fund-raising. It’s about keeping momentum, it’s finding what activism can do.”
Jules believes metaverse can overshadow social media activism. Since its boom in 2004, social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more have become go-to platforms for people globally. A video can go viral on the internet in a blink. Moreover, toxic users spreading misinformation and hate speeches are common occurrences there.
However, virtual worlds may see a decline in toxic activities in contrast to social media. Activities will primarily happen in real time unlike social media where a user can comment on a post after several hours. Moreover, it is unlikely a single user can use multiple IDs after tech giants like Meta Platforms and Apple are proposing the use of biometric data. Still, there could be other ways attackers can exploit the metaverse experience.
The Metaverse is Technologically Young
Social media websites can lead to bigger conflicts like the Capitol Hill attacks in January 2021. It was found that the conflict brewed on these platforms. A mob supporting the former U.S. President, Donald Trump, attacked the Capitol Building in Washington following his electoral defeat.
The current metaverse we witness is technologically an infant. A mature metaverse would require advanced technologies from 6th generation networks (6G) to quantum computing. Moreover, virtual worlds lack realism, both in visuals as well as physics. Developers can take inspiration from latest games like Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty Modern Warfare franchise reboot.
Furthermore, people can join events from different corners of the world. Don’t Extradite Assange founder John Rees believes they can attract thousands of users in the campaign for Assange’s freedom. In addition to that, a metaverse protest could prevent physical harm to the participants.
