Meta Is Here and Is More than We Can Fathom

By Shridha Dugar

The Facebook company is now Meta and there is so much that we are not ready for.

Back in 2004, Mark Zukerberg introduced us to the world of Facebook. It was a jump into the world of social media, sharing thoughts, images and even videos. From a hundred million users in 2008, Facebook has 2.9 billion users (as of Q3, 2021). In this long journey, we saw the highs and lows of Facebook – from creating a space for people to connect with old friends to blunders in ensuring their safety and privacy.

The last couple of years have tarnished Facebook’s reputation completely. But, issues with privacy and user safety started right from the Beacon Programme (2008) to flaws in Facebook moderation guidelines (2017) to the Cambridge Analytica Files (2018). With the company under so much scrutiny, associating Facebook with newer projects didn’t seem very fitting.

While rebranding isn’t a solution, it is a desperate measure by Facebook to start afresh with 2.9 billion people. There is a lot that the company needs to do to regain the trust of its users and make its new brand worth all the effort.

Say hello to Meta – a technology company that encompasses Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, Portal, Novi and Oculus.

Mark Zuckerberg introduces Meta

What is Meta?

It’s a technology company that is beyond the existing social media applications. The company aims to build a ‘metaverse’ that redefines the way people interact in the virtual world.

Honestly, it seems like a science fiction movie.

Relive history with the metaverse

Why is Meta beyond our imagination?

When you listen to Mark Zuckerberg’s keynote, it’s like listening to an insane sci-fi story and reflects the BnL Corp (The Buy n Large Corporation) from Wall-E. Meta will own everything from a pencil to real estate in the metaverse. The world will let you adopt avatars and interact with people as holograms or complete extensive design and engineering projects within an elaborately designed universe. The metaverse will be a virtual ecosystem. It will have offices, homes, playgrounds, imaginary worlds, games, education, fitness and even shopping. It will be a way to see, interact and even touch people using the power of virtual and augmented reality. The space will have businesses and creators as the metaverse will build with their help. It’s an exciting world to imagine with a chance to design parts of the metaverse. However, the realities of privacy and security still seem vague.

Privacy concerns with Meta

The aim of the metaverse, as Mark Zukerberg repeatedly mentions, is to connect people. They have immense documentation on their website about their efforts NOW focused on people and not mere data they can exploit.

But, it is an ongoing dialogue.

Yes, we do get to control what data we share and what we don’t but honestly, who is reading the long documents? Privacy statements from social media companies need to be as simple as what WhatsApp used to have, “Messages that you send to this chat and calls are now secure with end-to-end encryption.” It is essential because, with VR and AR, companies have easy access to collect our biometric data – the very essentials that distinguish a person from another.

Additionally, the world of VR and AR is still very nascent and not utilised to its capacity. It is essential that government bodies from around the world draft policies around its use before its exploited.

In conclusion
Meta seems like history is repeating itself. Mark Zukerberg is again at the forefront of an internet revolution, treading waters not guarded by regulations. A child’s fantasy seems to come alive with the metaverse, although its realities may narrate a different story. The way we work, game, interact with people and do business is all set to change with Meta.