First, the definition of the meta-universe
In this book, several different definitions of "hyperuniverse" are quoted, but none is more concise than Matthew Bauer's definition. As the earliest and most comprehensive "professional" in the world, he thinks:
"Metauniverse is a large-scale, interoperable real-time rendering 3D virtual world network, which can be experienced synchronously and continuously by an unlimited number of users. These users have a sense of personal presence and data continuity, such as identity, history, rights, objects, communication and payment."
Metauniverse is a large-scale, interoperable network composed of three-dimensional virtual worlds that are rendered in real time. It can be experienced synchronously and continuously by an effective and unlimited number of users, and it has personal presence and continuity in data such as identity, history, rights, commodities, communication and payment.
Mathew Ball specifically listed three common misunderstandings about the metauniverse, which were wrongly described as virtual reality, video games or online production tools. In fact, these are only a part of the meta-universe, or related software equipment, not the whole connotation of the meta-universe.
Second, the background
The emergence of metauniverse not only has the support of technological development, but also adapts to the changing needs of emerging consumer groups.
(1)M generation
Generation M refers to the generation that grew up with the Internet and smart phones. They were born between 1995 and 20 10. Their characteristics are almost no lack of material, but more spiritual needs, and they are willing to enjoy and create.
The subculture circle of generation M includes: the second dimension, the national style and the national tide, the game e-sports, cool things, hardcore technology, otaku, cosplay, pets, new dance music, new art, new sports, street games and so on.
Virtual goods in the meta-universe naturally attracted the attention of Generation M. ..
(2) Technological development
The rise of metauniverse is closely related to the rapid development of network, graphics, artificial intelligence and other technologies. Representative technologies and products include: 5G communication, Wi-Fi 6, cloud computing, blockchain, smart phones and wearable devices.
Metauniverse borrows the geographical concept of supercontinent, which refers to those platforms that provide the basic elements of metauniverse, including digital creation, digital assets, digital transactions and digital consumption. The representative supercontinents are: iOS and Android for software systems, WeChat for graphic information, Tik Tok for short videos, Roblox for games, HarmonyOS operating system with cross-hardware platforms, and Ethereum with a unified platform between software and data.
Unlike the previous online world, most of the contents of the Hyperuniverse are created by users themselves. Easy-to-use production tools lower the creative threshold of users and provide rich digital content for the meta-universe. This is also an important reason why the short video of vibrato attracts users to surpass WeChat.
Third, the problems that need attention
? "Hyperuniverse" is a new thing that is happening and changing constantly, which also brings a series of new problems, mainly in the following three aspects.
philosophy
"Hyperuniverse" can be completely imagined as a network composed of information. Participants in the "Metauniverse" include biological people, electronic people, digital people, virtual people and information people, and they all evolved into organic people and inorganic people. The combination of artificial intelligence and biological gene technology has formed the so-called "post-human". The formation process of this "post-human society" can also be regarded as the transition of life forms from "carbon-based life" to "silicon-based life".
Brain-computer interface allows digital technology to directly understand the instructions of the brain; Exoskeleton directly enhances human physical strength. If we combine human beings with intelligent machines, we can have the advantages of both and become semi-robots. Furthermore, with the rapid development of artificial intelligence, there may be silicon-based life in the form of "silicon chip+artificial intelligence+steel skeleton+rubber skin" in the future.
Once the life form has changed completely, there will undoubtedly be far-reaching philosophical problems.
(2) Rules
How to form a benign interaction and development between the virtual world and the real world, complement and balance from concept, technology to culture, and form a new civilization ecology is a challenge that human beings must face in the era of meta-universe.
Hyperuniverse, like the real world, must adhere to the correct value orientation, maintain a harmonious order and avoid cyber violence and crime. This requires the necessary design of the overall rules of the meta-universe and the establishment of moral and legal norms in the virtual environment.
⑶ Economy
Meta-cosmic economic elements include digital creation, digital assets, digital market, digital currency and digital consumption. The economic rules in the hyperuniverse are very different from those in the real world. Without physical production and transportation, cash is not directly used for consumption and cannot be analyzed by many traditional economic theories.
The basic assumptions of traditional economics are: scarcity of resources, self-interest of economic individuals and rationality of economic individuals. The digital assets of the Hyperuniverse can be copied almost infinitely, and the cost is extremely low. Not only users are creating goods, but artificial intelligence is also creating goods, and the value of goods is determined by users' preferences. Then, for the meta-universe, the classical theories such as labor determining value and diminishing marginal benefits are no longer effective.
In addition, technological innovation has also brought unexpected new problems. For example, the distributed ledger mechanism of the blockchain breaks the hegemony of the central node monopolizing information, and at the same time, it also allows large Internet companies to form a new monopoly driven by the pursuit of commercial interests. The currency issued by Roblox for internal consumption can be withdrawn. This undoubtedly facilitates money laundering, and there is a great risk of breaking through financial supervision.
Therefore, the research of new economic theory and the means of economic regulation need to be developed accordingly.
summary
The content of this book is suspected of piling up, and it is just a bestseller catering to the meta-universe. However, the metauniverse itself is in a state of constant change and development. By sorting out and analyzing some materials collected in the book, we can get some clues about the metauniverse. As the saying goes, choose the good and follow it, and change the bad. In short, the emergence and development of a new thing are generally not smooth sailing. We should not only see its future trend and potential, but also carefully deal with possible risks and give full play to the benign role of the meta-universe.