Metacognition on the Metaverse

The first part of this essay, I wrote in early morning hours last year, my “personal journaling” time. I was venting my fear of a world expanding into a metaverse. The latter part I wrote today as an addendum before posting, attempting to balance fear with rational thinking and optimism. All together, it is metacognition on the metaverse, asking for more metacognition on the metaverse.

Last year: 

I’m struggling with the metaverse. Or metaverses, as I’ve come to understand there are many. I’m struggling with the boom in its importance, a trend now rivaling the push for purpose in marketing and society overall. These two trends seem anathema to one another. How do these co-exist in the same marketing industry? Are the same people pushing these two trends forward simultaneously? Or do these paralleling paths foretell an industry headed toward philosophical division?

Research has screamed the importance of brands operating with purpose–not just in marketing, but in actual impact. This research is from consumers themselves. And as companies invest in training and talent to meet the societal demand for operating with greater social responsibility, a $150,000 brand investment in an NFT feels like a complete disconnect. Where is the through line? Does investing in social responsibility have a place in Meta? Or are these two trends at odds with one another? 

It’s not just at the brand level that I struggle with the dissonance–it’s at an individual level too. I’ve heard more and more people say they are cutting back on social media. The reason is simple–we know it’s not good for us as human beings. For all the benefits that you can point to in favor of social media, the negative effects are widely researched and proven, and outweigh the good. 

“We reviewed more than 50 research articles published between 2003 and 2018. Some of the most common negative impacts included psychological harms such as jealousy, loneliness, anxiety and reduced self-esteem, as well as things like exposure to malicious software and phishing risks.” a quote from The Dark Side of Using Online Social Networks: A Review of Individuals' Negative Experiences.  And this was before 2020…

I see social media fanning the flames of dystopian mindset. Have we become so jaded by the “new reality” we’re finding our footing in that we’ve mistaken the metaverse as a place with the potential to turn out differently?  

Brands might see the metaverse as a greater opportunity to influence consumers, but some human reactions on YouTube in response to Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta announcement. show not all consumers are won over. 

“‘Our mission remains the same.’ Oh, no.”

“When he said ‘now we have a new North Star to bring the metaverse to life’ wow that's actually pretty haunting and sends chills down my spine knowing that he wants to basically eradicate human contact and only make it digital.”

“The cyberpunk dystopia we all asked for! LET’S GO”

“Meta: where we bring you abstract living with no basis in reality.”

While times are tough on everyone, the escape isn’t further away from who we are as people. I believe the answer is through the struggle for more humanity. And I believe brands DO have a big opportunity to invest in that fight.  I’ve said it before, the marketing industry is at the helm of the largest and most influential platform. We say we’re for purpose and putting brand dollars against social good, and yet, we’re jockeying for real estate in a metaverse, to follow rather than lead consumers.  

If dollars are how we vote for the world we want to see, then I vote for putting the money where purpose lives, in tangible impact. 

Our ticket out of dystopia and to greater purpose actually begins with a free ride to look within. To think about our beliefs, who we want to be, and consider our actions as a demonstration of those beliefs. A better and more purposeful world starts with more metacognition—an awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes. That goes for individuals and brands alike. 

Today:

I wrote this piece last year but didn’t publish it. I wrote it for myself as a healthy venting on fears.  I’m sharing it now as part of my commitment to inspire more movement towards meaningful connection.  It feels one-sided because it is. I rarely participate in social media for personal use. I have little understanding of what happens in the metaverse. I recognize that brand dollars can actually boost exposure to new artists who can use the low barrier to entry as a starting point to build a platform and a following in the metaverse—and that their work and artistry can actually be working for the greater good. 

But despite the good that might come from those use cases, I still fear use of the metaverse will perpetuate the problems we already see in people as a result of social media.  (Losing our ability to be storytellers to one another is a big one!) I’m willing to put this biased perspective out in the world with the hope of prompting a moment of critical thinking on how we might move towards more meaningful connection and tangible impact for greater good in the here and now. Essentially, I’m asking for some metacognition on the metaverse and its implications on our connection to one another.