Contrary to popular belief, the metaverse (or metaverse) unfortunately unsafe. In addition, it can pose physical and mental health risks. It can also have a negative impact on the economy, society, children, and so on. Here is exactly what you need to know about it.
The term “metaverse” has become very popular recently. Composed of the words meta and universe, it refers to a completely different shared virtual world. In other words, it is a kind of parallel virtual world, thus mimicking the action of the real world. Today, this great universe continues to evolve.
It offers many possibilities, just like in real life. In addition to fun, you can now, for example, follow training courses, make all sorts of purchases, and so on. We can even now stock. The result is that, like the Internet, the metaverse is not dangerous. Before starting this, it is better to know all the risks that can be expected.
Metavers: physical health hazards?
Currently, virtual reality and strengthening agree. VR applications dedicated to health care and in operation in fact do not stop to pluralize now then. However, this still does not mean that the metaverse in particular does not pose a risk to physical health.
In fact, according to some researchers, who view it as a severely immersive world, it is increasingly pushing users look at the screens. Of course, we’re primarily talking about VR headsets. In addition, it only exacerbates the forced use of various social media. And yet, all of this can be detrimental to sleep and overall health.
Increased reliance on the metaverse can also lead to lack of physical activity. It is true that there are already a variety of VR and AR games and applications to stretch your legs. However, some players care about them. What’s more, unless you have a VR mat, among other things, mobility is very limited.
Don’t hesitate to revisit our file on what the death of the metaverse means.
A negative impact on mental health
In addition to being a physical health risk, the metaverse can also pose a mental health risk. Just as one can become addicted to the virtual world, the other can also be damaged relationships. As a result, we became more closed. In addition, it is possible that we will suffer online harassment in this universe. However, it can have a negative influence on self -confidence.
The founder of Neuroscape, a center at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Dr. Adam Gazzaley, said he was optimistic about the patient experience in the metaverse. According to him, thanks to the latter, different people can now go to hospitals or clinics in a new way.
However, he did not fail to add that, virtual or not, metaverse environments can exist Negative consequences to users. Note that Neuroscape studies how VR technology can be used to improve attention, memory and decision making.
What about the effects of the metaverse on society?
During the conference Facebook Connect 2021which took place in October, the CEO of Meta, mark zuckerberg, announced that Metaverse aims to bring different people together like never before. For this, he blot gradually the boundaries separating the real world from the virtual world.
Of course, the virtual universe thus helps different users connect with each other. The problem is that by removing the borders between the two worlds, unfortunately it inspires a society constantly mas nadisconnect reality. And yet, he already lives on the current side of his smartphone.
In addition, to these concerns the connection to reality is added of all sorts additional issues. We calculated, among other things, the way in which we would teach children to use these technologies in moderation. It must be said that the metaverse leads to a chaotic social life.
What about the metaverse risk for the economy?
By creating the metaverse, VR and AR professionals are creating a whole new world. This means they are economic development using goods and services that are not yet available. In addition, they inspire the generation of new companies down the road. The cost of investing in this famous virtual world continues to increase.
However, because it is a real extension of life for different users, they have the possibility to access it at all times. And yet, it can lead to significant energy consumption. Also, for those who don’t already know, the Netflix streaming service alone occupies approximately 15% global bandwidth.
If millions, even billions of users in the world join the metaverse at the same time, we can already imagine how saturated it will be later. Finally, given that different purchases are usually made on the linephysical stores and shops will find it difficult to operate properly.
The children were also worried
The dangers of the metaverse are not just for adults. Because everyone can access it, kids can also. As already mentioned, however, parents may find it difficult to regulate the use of the various technologies involved in this virtual world by their children.
Admittedly, for the current Internet, some of them are using centralized monitoring system to limit the time spent using different connected devices. This is also true for accessing specific websites. Even if these systems could be considered for the metaverse, it is not yet certain that they will work with all the virtual applications available there.
And yet, by staying all the time in this virtual universe, every child is exposed to a psychological danger. If he isolates himself there, he may suffer harassment or all kinds of violence, and other things. On the other hand, however, prohibition can also have a negative impact on a child’s psychological health. He may feel excluded compared to others, with the possibility of accessing the metaverse.
A world unprotected against scams
Because the metaverse is open to all, like the current Internet, scammers can also access it, which represents a real danger for users, especially young people. They can even deal with aggressors and criminals there.
If more and more VR and AR professionals, like Meta, are starting to create this famous parallel virtual world, it’s all over for business. Since it is a question of money and transactions, we are primarily to deal with financial scams. Unless the fictional universe is tightly controlled, money can disappear as a result.
It should also be remembered that, in the metaverse, different users are of course represented by avatars. These, of course, are usually customized to taste, and therefore can be like their creators. Despite this, it’s still hard, though impossible to identify the people behind them. It could even be an artificial intelligence. All of this makes virtual space much better than scams.
What are possible solutions to avoid these metaverse hazards?
In short, the metaverse really presents a risk for different users. And yet, we can no longer avoid launching it. So solutions need to be considered reduce the risks as much as possible, especially among young people.
In this regard, many experts and companies have proposed to enact laws and new regulations to manage this shared virtual world. According to them, everything that is not allowed in the real world should also be criminalized in this fictional space.
Other civil society organizations have also called on governments, as well as other stakeholders to address the human rights in the world of virtual and augmented reality.
According to a technology and human rights expert called Heller, the rules for using social media in the metaverse do not apply arbitrarily. Policies and specific terms of service should be put in place.