Here are the main employee concerns about Metaverse

As Meta (formerly Facebook) CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Introducing the Metaverse In 2021, many company employees expressed concerns about the project’s practicality and safety. While Facebook continues to perform well as a social media platform, Zuckerberg’s passion project is proving itself to be more trouble than it’s worth.

However, many believe that the Metaverse will be where users can work and play. Tech giants like Meta envision the Metaverse, changing how we function as a society. They hope that people can join meetings, communicate with colleagues and collaborate on projects in virtual space from anywhere in the world.

But, many people do not share that view. Indeed, many employers, employees, and even employees of Meta have legitimate concerns about Metaverse.

What is the Metaverse?

In a somewhat misguided attempt to stay relevant and innovative in the modern world, Zuckerberg launched an online world called the Metaverse. The basic idea behind the metaverse is this: people using virtual reality technology to meet in cyberspace. Metaverse’s exact function remains unclear, although it has been heralded as a next-generation social platform.

In Metaverse, online players can customize a poorly rendered avatar, which they use to navigate the online space while wearing virtual reality gear. Although Zuckerberg claims it will become a revolutionary platform in the future, many employees, shareholders and customers alike have expressed disappointment with its functionality and design.

Data Collection and Privacy

A Metaverse survey 63% of 1,500 employees and employers in the US are concerned about their employer collecting their data in Metaverse. Another 51% were concerned about real-time screen monitoring by employers.

It is widely known that Facebook collects data from its users, and has been ever since Privacy breach in March 2018, users are warned about Facebook’s privacy practices. Facebook collects user data, which it then uses to refine ads and tailor content. Employees worry that the metaverse and employers will take it to the next level, and understandably so.

Lack of moderation

Metaverse does not currently offer any moderation, security, or censorship of any kind. Carbohydrates Nina Jane Patel, a researcher in the Metaverse, was recently sexually harassed in the Metaverse. Within just 60 seconds of logging into “Horizon Worlds”, a subspace of the Metaverse, Patel was confronted by a group of players who made disrespectful comments and continued to attack his character onscreen.

This is an excellent example of why there needs to be some level of moderation in the metaverse. Protection of users from harmful comments and actions should be prioritized. If Metaverse is intended to function primarily as an MMORPG, it should apply the same moderation methods as other MMORPGs.

If Meta employees are afraid to use their own software, that’s not a good indicator for long-term success for other businesses and their employees. Instead of focusing on player safety and entertainment, Metaverse seems more interested in advertising. This irresponsible practice has left a bad taste in employees’ mouths.

Undeveloped software

There really isn’t much to do inside the metaverse. Despite Zuckerberg’s claim that it’s a social environment designed for fun, players are limited to underdeveloped mini-games and still need to physically move around to fully enjoy the experience. This is very disappointing for a virtual world that is advertised as limitless.

Inconsistent design

Below is an ad for 2021’s Horizon Worlds, featuring some colorful, well-rendered characters enjoying the platform. This film looks promising and generated some interest when it was first released

Unfortunately, it seems that this ad was very misleading. In August 2022, Zuckerberg announced that he was launching Horizon Worlds in France and Spain, posting this image on Facebook:

After posting it, Zuckerberg was savagely berated online for the poor quality of the graphics shown on Metaverse. Compared to the images that Meta Horizon Worlds uses to advertise, it looks like a completely different game.

At this point, Metaverse had also been in development for a year, so the quality was expected to improve, not worse. Meta is a multi billion dollar companyAnd yet the metaverse lacks thoughtful design and imagination.

Employees and consumers alike are finding it difficult to maintain trust in Zuckerberg’s vision when the ad content differs from what users actually receive. This creates a lack of trust and can be labeled as false advertising.

Competitive industry

The Metaverse leans heavily toward the video game industry, an ever-expanding, highly saturated market filled to the brim with true industry experts. While Zuckerberg’s creation of Facebook proved a huge success, Metaverse is an entirely different animal.

If Zuckerberg wants to step into video game territory, he must deliver a product that can reasonably compete within the industry and the Metaverse cannot. Triple-A games, pioneers and industry leaders require big budgets and specialized teams. Game companies need the help of graphic designers, programmers, software developers, voice actors and more to be successful.

Metaverse fails to deliver something unique that separates it from the competition in the entertainment industry. Its design is weak at best and unoriginal at worst. There are no distinctive features that make it attractive to consumers. If players want to play an online MMORPG, there are countless good options to choose from with better graphics and engaging stories.

Unrealistic expectations

A problem many employees and consumers have with Metaverse is its unclear target audience and overall purpose. Recently announced by Walmart They would use Metaverse to improve the virtual shopping experience for consumers, but their methods were confusing and unnecessarily tedious. They expressed interest in using Metaverse to sell NFTs, a controversial file type with a detrimental environmental impact.

you will find Here is footage of their protest. During the demo, we see our character navigating a supermarket with a shopping cart, accompanied by an AI worker who offers endless suggestions and advice. The environment is gray and dark, somehow scarier than an actual Walmart.

Additionally, users rely on virtual reality to use the program, which means they must physically perform actions such as reaching and moving around items from shelves. During the demonstration, it is unclear whether the player is in their car, home, or store, making its effectiveness questionable.

It’s usually easier and less time-consuming to click a few buttons on your phone and have groceries delivered or set aside for pickup. In no way does Metaverse actually optimize the shopping experience. Instead, the software looks clunky and acts awkward and robotic. Even shareholders are uncertain Whether Zuckerberg wants to use the software for everyday VR users or for corporate advertising and product placement.

Overly corporate tone

Instead of focusing on creating and encouraging authentic connections between users, Metaverse has a heavy corporate tone that has been described by many as “dystopian” and “tone-deaf”. Despite such a poor reception to the Metaverse launch, Zuckerberg is doubling down on ignoring the needs of his potential customers, and that’s just bad business.

Stock and personnel suffer

Since Facebook’s rebranding to Meta in 2021, Meta has suffered 2The share price fell 5%. In just one day, Meta lost a total of $230 billion, the company’s most significant loss to date. This loss was attributed to rebrands and Zuckerberg’s fixation with the metaverse.

Meta’s staff expressed strong concerns about Zuckerberg’s overzealousness about the Metaverse. Some employees complained about it “The only thing [he] want to talk” And he’s distracted from his other duties, favoring progress in the Metaverse.

Mater shareholders Angry at Zuckerberg for continuing to pour investment money into Metaverse. The meta is already there Metaverse lost $9.4 billion in development, and they are projected to lose even more. Financially, Metaverse seems to spell doom for Meta as a company.

Will Metaverse succeed?

Meta activists are entitled to raise concerns about the practicality, ethics and quality of this project. These employees echo the concerns of employees at other companies surveyed about using Metaverse in the workplace. Zuckerberg has given little reassurance to the public for complaints and suggestions, and as a result, his company is suffering. Although Facebook was a hugely successful social media platform, the Metaverse may have been the downfall of Zuckerberg’s company.

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