What will the metaverse of the updated Facebook look like?

Facebook's rebranding to Meta hides much more than the owners' desire to avoid prosecution. It seems that the online advertising empire has decided to create a new virtual reality into which the world will be immersed. What this universe will become can be guessed from the facts preceding the name change.

Mark Zuckerberg insists that his goal is noble and selfless: to make digital reality accessible, popular and comfortable. And now Meta has a clear plan to bring this idea to life. In order to make the meta-universe possible, several steps were taken.

Purchase of Oculus Rift

Facebook acquired the VR company in 2014 for $2.3 billion. With $85 billion in annual advertising revenue, it's not a big deal for the social network.

Oculus specialized in making headsets for gamers, but Zuckerberg said at a press conference after signing the deal that his plans go much further. In the future, he plans to use Oculus products to create “a new social interaction platform.” It will provide a feeling of presence in virtual reality and new opportunities for entertainment, learning, and communication with other people at a distance.

The social network team was especially inspired by the fact that Oculus glasses were made from inexpensive components, so launching mass production is not difficult.

And already in September 2020, the new standalone VR headset Oculus Quest 2 was presented, costing only $299. The gadget was positioned as a device for playing computer VR games with a USB-C connection.

In principle, there is nothing criminal in creating virtual gaming reality. It differs from the usual online toys only in the 3D wow effect.

And you don’t have to get hung up on this fact, if not for Facebook’s next step.

Ray-Ban Stories - Facebook on the face

At the beginning of September 2021, Facebook demonstrated to the world a new product - Ray-Ban smart glasses, which make it possible to take photos, videos, receive calls and communicate with friends in video format. They have integrated 5 megapixel cameras, headphones, a microphone and a built-in image capture indicator light. This miracle device understands voice commands and suppresses background noise while receiving a call.

The glasses are compatible with the Facebook View application, so you can broadcast live to your subscribers, and also easily import all content to any iOS or Android device:

• to Instagram;
  
• WhatsApp;
  
• Messenger;
  
• Twitter;
  
• TikTok;
  
• Snapchat;
  
• Viber.

Ray-Ban Stories can be made in different colors and equipped with any lenses: clear, sunglasses and even prescription ones.

These glasses cost very little - $299 and consent to store all the content you create on Facebook servers.

This is the second step towards creating the infrastructure of Zuckerberg's meta-matrix.

Will the new reality be augmented or transformed?

We are sure that the story of Mark Zuckerberg's new project is about massive data collection, and not about the effect of presence and exciting games, as advertised on the page Tech@Facebook

The devices that Facebook-Meta launches on the market are They collect not only information about the user, but also constantly scan the outside world. They use outward-facing cameras to track and map their surroundings. And this is the main ethical problem of Zuckerberg's meta-universe.

Before the release of the latest version of the VR device, company executives claimed that they did not store geolocation data and 3D images from users' cameras on their servers. But now Facebook speakers ignore direct questions on this topic or avoid answering.

But they are increasingly using the concept of AR (augmented reality). This is a system that combines the virtual and the real in such a way that imaginary objects in streaming video content are perceived as existing.

What will these objects be? Imaginary characters? Imaginary events? It is unknown yet. The main thing is that you and I will be the spectators of this three-dimensional representation.

Meanwhile, under the control of Facebook, Oculus dominates the virtual reality market with a share of almost 70%, and 10,000 developers in the US and EU are working on the creation of the project.

What data can Meta servers store?

We can assume that users who have become part of Zuckerberg's meta-matrix will, without knowing it, transfer it to database:

• digital fingerprints and retina;
  
• geolocation data;
  
• phone numbers and bank cards;
  
• friends’ contacts.
  

In addition, you will merge neural network algorithms into the network: your tastes, interests and preferences. The system will remember your gestures, facial expressions and eye movements. You can identify any person anywhere in the world using such marks... A pasted-on mustache, wig and glasses will not help you.

Facebook is not keeping up with the scandals surrounding the leakage and resale of users’ personal data. The fines imposed by regulators do not cause significant damage to the platform. So why would a company change its approach if advertising revenues bring in excess profits for Mark? Facebook's capitalization exceeded 1 trillion. dollars, and its shares are growing steadily, despite reputational losses. 

The sale of personal information to target advertising is unpleasant, but not fatal.

The current concern is that control over data could end up on the servers of security services and intelligence agencies. And that the “meta-universe” is just a test run of a new technology for mass data collection.

It’s not without reason that US regulators are putting unprecedented pressure on the social network. The desire to control private information not to make money from advertising, but to monitor and manipulate public opinion is a common practice of the authorities.

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