‘Scythe’ is a science fiction novel by Neal Shusterman. It is an ‘utopian’ story that conceives a future without disease, hunger, war, or crime. and focusses on a society that functions fairly well under the guidance of the Thunderhead, an advanced cloud technology that oversees everything. The Scythes independent of the Thunderhead, with the help of AI algorithms, keep overpopulation in check by killing people and the story then goes through the machinations of the Scythes vs the society.
In another fictional odyssey, can we use copies of ourselves to represent ourselves? Can we communicate with each other and virtually build our own community? Can we use digital currency to buy food or maybe anything under the sun? Can we travel virtually through the metaverse for fun? ‘Ready Player One’ directed by Steven Spielberg was a 2011 dystopian sci-fi novel set in the year 2045, where people escaped the problems plaguing Earth in a virtual world called the Oasis. Are these scenarios possible in future? Let’s explore.
We spend considerable time surfing through several popular online sites. All of them need IT network infrastructure, servers, firewalls and applications which are usually owned by IT companies and regulated by IT ACTs of the government. In commerce, it means that someone pays to install those servers and install software on them. We then access their services online for a charge sometimes and access it free sometimes, as long as we do not break the rules. Yes, the controlling entities would reserve the right to block or allow partial use as they deem fit. Is this restricting?
Can there be any other way of accessing the data and information that we want? Can we still access data and information even if a server is shut, removed or blocked whether of a corporation or of the government? It can be done, but how?
Ever heard of blockchain? It is a new method of storing data online, which is built around important concepts of encryption and distributed computing. First encryption. It means, data stored on a blockchain can only be accessed by people with permissions to access it. Such data may be stored on a government or a corporate computer.
Second is the distributed computing. It means that every file is shared across many computers or servers. If data on a computer does not match with its copies on other computers or servers, that file becomes invalid. Simply put, no one can change data, except the one who creates it, without the permission of either the person who owns it or the entire distributed network.
Both concepts read together, mean the data can be stored in a way so it is always under the control of the person who owns it, irrespective of where it is stored, whether a government or a corporate owned server.
What does this mean? Firstly, the owner, even if it be the government, can never access or change the data without the keys to the encryption that proves they own it. Secondly, suppose the owner or the government shuts down or removes their servers, the data is still accessible on one of the hundreds of other computers that it’s stored in. Get what is going on? A journey to “Metaverse” is on.
web1 was the internet we all love to use. web2 is the user-generated web, influenced by the social media. Web3 currently in development, is designed to be decentralized, which means it will not be controlled by governments or corporations. “Metaverse” is the new cutting-edge Web 3.0 technology. The technical infrastructure of web3 is open, built on open-source software, is trust-less and permissionless.
Transactions happen between two individuals or entities without the need for a trusted third party which means communications cannot be manipulated. “Permissionless” means none of the parties need to seek permission from a third party like the service provider or the government while transacting. Technically it means that all the so-called middle men needed to run an organization, such as bankers, lawyers, accountants, and landlords will be redundant. No fancy stuffs. It is already happening. Did you know that ‘Decentraland’ users can use non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and a cryptocurrency called MANA to buy digital real-estate? Will the government now seek to regulate the end-to-end encryption of the messages we may send in future, only time will tell.
Metaverse is the next iteration of the Internet’s frontend. Mark Zuckerberg defines it as a virtual world where people can interact, hold meetings, buy property and do much more. Imagine a virtual world where we live, work, shop and interact with others, all from the comfort of our home or bed in the physical world. What makes it possible is a network of 3D virtual worlds using AR/VR technologies to interact with the digital domain in more realistic, experiential and immersive ways. Suppose we wish to surf Amazon. Metaverse will allow virtual hands to pick up and manipulate objects. Our voices then can give instructions to machines, or talk to other people. In gaming, we already have Roblox, Minecraft and other immersive video games.
Metaverse will be the interface through which we will engage with web3 tools and applications. Can it create a virtual economy that runs parallel to our real one? Is this in the realm of fiction? No. The 5G technology will enable it. Will all these new technologies lead to a fresh set of regulations? Will the governments let this happen without a bother? Will the VCs and their LPs control the web in future? All important questions to answer before web3 tools take over. Another concern is of course energy use since web3 tools are built on blockchain, that is very energy-intensive.
Metaverse is work in progress and may take a couple of years more. Research in ambient computing is the key. Specific electronics equipment to connect to the metaverse will be needed. For a 3D world to come alive, we will need computers to exist all around us with screens fitted into almost everything with interaction with them happening by gestures, and maybe even our thoughts. Facebook is pioneering wrist-based augmented reality controllers, which will read the signals sent to our hands through neurons in the human brain. The controller will then sense and relay our gestures to machines. Some more science or fiction or both? Whatever it may be, it will be a reality sooner than later.