STORY ON WTTW.COM/NEWS.
>> THE COMPANY CALLED FACEBOOK
IS NOW CALLED META WHEN MARK
ZUCKERBERG SAID THE SOCIAL MEDIA
PILOT WAS CHANGING THE NAME TO
META AND PIVOTING TO METAVERSE
REIMAGINING THE INTERNET THROUGH
A 3D LANDSCAPE.
JOINING US ARE BLASE UR A
PROFESSOR OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF "CHICAGO
TONIGHT" AND RABINDRA RATAN AN
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT MICHIGAN
STATE'S DEPARTMENT OF MEDIA AND
INFORMATION.
WELCOME BOTH OF YOU TO "CHICAGO
TONIGHT."
BLASE UR WHAT IS THE METAVERSE?
>> SURE, SO THE METAVERSE IS
THIS REIMAGINING HOW WE
COMMUNICATE BY PUTTING OURSELVES
IN THIS VIRTUAL VIDEO GAME
WORLD.
IMAGINE YOU GOT TO BE
TRANSPORTED INTO A VIDEO GAME
WORLD AND INTERACT WITH YOUR
FRIENDS YOUR FAMILY YOUR
COWORKERS BY MOVING AROUND IN
THE WORLD PURCHASING OBJECTS AND
HAVING YOUR COMMUNICATIONS AND
CONVENINGS MEDIATED IN THIS
METAVERSE.
>> WE ARE LOOKING AT FOOTAGE OF
MARK ZUCKERBERG IN THAT
METAVERSE.
RABINDRA RATAN, WHAT DOES IT
MEAN FOR THE METAVERSE THAT
FACEBOOK IS MAKING THIS BIG BET
AND CHANGING THE NAME TO META?
>> IT'S NOT THAT SURPRISING.
THEY ARE MOVING IN THIS
DIRECTION SINCE 2014 WHEN THEY
PURCHASED THE VIRTUAL REALITY
HEADSET COMPANY FOR $2 BILLION.
IN THE PAST YEAR THERE'S BEEN A
SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF ATTENTION
ON THIS IDEA OF THE METAVERSE.
IT IS NOT KNEW IT IS THE NEXT
LEVEL OF INTERNET AN EMBODIED
APPROACH TO THE INTERNET SO YOU
CAN WEAR A HEADSET AND MOVE
AROUND IN THE SPACES BUT YOU CAN
ACCESS IT THROUGH A COMPUTER OR
A PHONE.
BUT IT'S ABOUT LEVEL OF EMBODY.
THAT --
EMBODY RMENT AND THE INTEGRATION
OF BITCOIN OR CRYPTOCURRENCY
THOSE TECHNOLOGIES ARE AT THE
CUTTING EDGE OF THIS FUTURE
INTERNET.
SO FACEBOOK WANTS TO OWN AS MUCH
OF THIS SPACE AS POSSIBLE I
IMAGINE BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE
PEOPLE WILL ENGAGE IN THE
INTERNET IN THE FUTURE IN THE
MAJORITY OF THEIR TIME.
>> AND IT'S NOT JUST FACEBOOK
MICROSOFT INVESTED AND BRANDS
LIKE NIKE WITH FOLLOWING SUIT
WITH METAVERSE PLANS.
BLASE UR HOW WIDESPREAD WILL IT
BE?
LIKE THE SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES
WHERE PEOPLE ARE LIVING THEIR
LIVES IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD?
>> I'M SKEPTICAL OF A COMPLETE
SENSE OF INTEGRATION.
I THINK ELEMENTS OF THE
METAVERSE WILL BECOME AN
IMPORTANT PART OF OUR DAILY
LIVES IF WE LOOK AT THE RISE OF
SOCIAL MEDIA FACEBOOK 15 YEARS
AGO, SOCIAL MEDIA HAS BECOME AN
IMPORTANT PART OF MANY PEOPLE'S
LIVES.
AND IF WE LOOK AT THIS HOW WE'RE
WORKING FROM HOME IN THIS
PANDEMIC, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A
LOT OF VALUE TO TECHNOLOGY
MEDIATED COMMUNICATION THAT SAID
BEING PART OF THE VIRTUAL WORLD
HAS LOTS OF DOWNSIDES AND
CONCERNS.
I'M NOT SURE I MYSELF WANT TO
LIVE MY LIFE IN A VIRTUAL WORLD.
>> WHAT ABOUT LIMITATIONS WITH
EQUIPMENT OR TECHNOLOGY?
IF YOU WANT TO USE THE METAVERSE
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A HEADSET
ANYTHING ELSE THAT COULD BE
LIMITING?
>> OH, CERTAINLY.
THERE IS A LITERACY REQUIRED IN
ORDER TO ACCESS SOME OF THE
VIRTUAL WORLD EVEN IF YOU HAVE
THE TECHNOLOGY.
THERE ARE LIMITATIONS IN TERMS
OF AGE, SOME OF THE CONTENT IS
HARD TO ACCESS.
CERTAINLY CONCERNS ABOUT
DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS KIDS ARE
MORE MALLEABLE THEY ARE MORE
LIKELY TO THINK WHAT HE THEY SEE
IS REAL.
I DO ACTUALLY THINK THAT THESE
TECHNOLOGIES WILL INCREASE
EQUALITY AND ACCESS TO
INFORMATION AND SOCIETY BY THE
QUEST IS QUITE INEXPENSIVE.
I DOUBT THEY ARE MAKING A PROFIT
ON IT.
THEY ARE TRYING TO GET IT INTO
AS MANY HANDS THEY WANT A BIG
PIECE OF THE METAVERSE PIE.
SO I THINK THEY ARE A GOOD SIZE
AND CONCERNING SIDES.
>> AND BLASE UR THERE'S CONCERNS
WITH FACEBOOK AND WHAT THEY'VE
DONE WITH ALL THE INFORMATION
THAT THEY'VE GATHERED ON THEIR
USERS AND OTHER TECHNOLOGY
COMPANIES AS WELL.
WILL THERE BE MORE CONCERNS IN
IN THE METAVERSE?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
AS WE'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST 15
YEARS FACEBOOK HAS TROUBLES WITH
PRIVACY.
IN MY OWN RESEARCH GROUP FOCUSES
ON PRIVACY AND SECURITY.
IF WE THINK ABOUT THE ACCESS TO
INFORMATION FACEBOOK HAS HAD A
LOT HAS BEEN MEDIATED BY YOUR
PHONE AND A KEYBOARD AND SO THEY
ARE PICKING UP ALL THE SIGNALS
WHO YOU ARE, PERSONALIZING
THINGS TO YOU, STEREOTYPING YOU
BASED ON YOUR WORDS AND PHOTO.
IN THE METAVERSE THEY ARE
CAPTURING SIGNALS YOUR BODY HOW
YOU MOVE THROUGH SPACE.
AND THIS VISION IF WE ARE GOING
TO LIVE IN A METAVERSE IS TRUE A
LOT PARTS OF YOUR LIFE WILL BE
TRACKED AND SURVEILLED.
THE PRIVACY CONCERNS ARE
BOUNDLESS IN THIS WORLD.
>> HOW DOES IT WORK?
WILL IT BE A GOVERNING COUNCIL,
WHO MAKES ALL THE RULES?
>> THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION.
THE W3C, THE WORLDWIDE WEB
CREATES STANDARDS FOR THE WEB TO
FACILITATE THE WAYS THAT
WEBSITES COMMUNICATE WITH EACH
OTHER.
NO ONE OWNS THE INTERNET,
THOUGH.
RIGHT?
SO THERE ARE BIG COMPANIES THAT
OWN SERVERS THAT CONNECT TO THE
INTERNET AND THE MORE THEY CAN
DRAW USERS TO THEIR SERVERS THE
MORE OF YOUR DATA IS SAYING THAT
THEY OWN WHICH OF COURSE IS
THEIR BREAD AND BUTTER THAT IS
THE VALUE THAT THEY EXTRACT FROM
USERS IN.
FUTURE I KNOW THE W3C DOES HAVE
A WORKING GROUP FOCUSED ON
METAVERSE STANDARDS AND LIKE WE
WANT INTERONNABILITY, YOU CAN
MOVE A J PEG FILE TO THAT
PROGRAM EASILY.
IMAGINE ON THE METAVERSE YOU CAN
MOVE AN AVATAR YOU'VE CREATED IT
IN READY PLAYER ME A GREAT
SOFTWARE YOU CAN CREATE AN
AVATAR FROM A PICTURE OF
YOURSELF AND FIVE MINUTES LATER
BE USING IT IN VR CHAT OR USING
IT TO MOZILLA HUB.
THAT IS INTERONNABILITY, THE
STANDARDS FOR THE SAME FILE TYPE
IS FACILITATED BY GOVERNING
AGENCIES OR AT LEAST THESE
CONSORTIUMS BUT THERE'S ALSO THE
BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY.
SO IF YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR, A
BLOCKCHAIN ESSENTIALLY A RECORD
OF A TRANSACTION A VIRTUAL
TRANSACTION.
IF I HAVE A RECORD OF CREATING
THIS AVATAR AND TAKING IT FROM
ONE SPACE TO ANOTHER, I CAN OWN
IT.
I CAN OWN IT LIKE AN NFT I CAN
OWN THAT AND SELL IT.
>> YOUR AVATAR THEY ARE QUICKLY
BLASE UR, FACEBOOK ALSO
ANNOUNCED IT'S DOING AWAY WITH
THE FACIAL RECOGNITION
TECHNOLOGY THAT RAN AFOUL OF THE
LAW IN ILLINOIS.
SAYING YOU CANNOT COLLECT
PEOPLE'S BIOMETRIC DATA WITHOUT
THEIR CONSENT.
IS THIS A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT?
>> YES, I THINK FACEBOOK MOVING
AWAY FROM FACIAL RECOGNITION AS
USED ON FACEBOOK OR SUGGESTING
WHO MIGHT BE IN A DEVELOPMENT,
THE REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT IN
ILLINOIS SPECIFICALLY HAS HAD A
LARGE PART TO DO WITH THIS.
AND OF COURSE THAT REMAINS TO BE
SEEN WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN
THE METAVERSE THEY DID NOT
ANNOUNCE THAT.
>> THEY MIGHT TAKE IT AWAY FROM
FACEBOOK BUT MAYBE IN THE
METAVERSE THEY DID NOT SAY
WHETHER OR NOT THEY WOULD USE
THAT TECHNOLOGY.
FASCINATING DISCUSSION WE WILL