Facebook and the metaverse: "The real and virtual worlds will gradually merge"

Sharing one's life between the real world and the virtual world is the ambition of the Internet of the future with the “metaverse”. The web giant Facebook announced Sunday, October 17, recruiting 10,000 people over five years in Europe to develop its own virtual universe. Will this new dematerialized world take precedence over real life and begin real social relations? Alexandre Bouchet, specialist in virtual technologies answered our questions.

Jennifer CHAINAY

10/19/2021



Will the border between the real and the virtual be definitively blurred by the metaverse? The question inevitably arises when Facebook has just announced the creation of 10,000 jobs in Europe to develop its virtual universe of social interactions. Alexandre Bouchet, director of Clarté in Laval ( Mayenne ), a resource center specializing in virtual and virtual world technologies , provides some details on this internet of the future.

Why is the metaverse so important for web giants like Facebook?

The stake is enormous. We are potentially talking about the future of the internet. This future will be a internet spatial and embodied . Space because we will be able to experience it in 3D with virtual reality headsets.

The second thing is that it's going to be embodied. We will be present in this virtual world with other people who will be embodied in an avatar form. We will therefore be able to live realistic experiences in 3D worlds.

What are the advantages of this metaverse?

The main thing, and it is incredible, is to reduce the geographical distances between people to nothing. It's a crazy dream (laughs). We will also be able to attend a concert from our sofa, take part in a meeting with our colleagues in 3D, but also visit a museum on the other side of the world and this with other human beings, or at least with their avatars, it's pretty amazing.

Is there not a risk of damaging real social relations?

This is of course the limit of the metaverse. These experiences should not come at the expense of what you can do in real life. These virtual realities are getting closer to reality but they will therefore be degraded for all the experiences that it is possible to live in real, it is obviously necessary to continue to do so. Reality will always be more real and effective than virtual.

Does this mean that the metaverse is not a substitute for the real?

Absolutely. However, it has many potentials in the face of constraints that we have already been able to experience during confinements linked to the Covid-19 pandemic . There may also be environmental or practical constraints. Living in a big city and being in traffic for an hour to get to a meeting is not such a good idea when it can take place in 3D from home.

In terms of culture, of learning, it is a very interesting tool. For example, I dream of visiting the MoMa in New York, but I can't afford to fly to get there. The metaverse will allow me to wander around the museum of modern art for a few euros and to do so with other human beings from a distance.

Something is still missing, smells, touch, ...

If we take the example of a concert, we will be really very close to reality. You will be in the middle of a virtual crowd, with other spectators, facing a stage. It has nothing to do with watching a concert on a screen like it is today. With the metaverse, we can imagine that the concert will be as good as in real life.

On the other hand, we will not find all the “extras”, which ultimately makes life spice: the trip to the venue, the meetings before and after the concert, etc. These moments, we will not be able to recreate them and that is why we must do as many things as possible in real life.

Should we fear that the border between real life and virtual life will disappear for some Internet users?

Here it is about regulation. Will certain things have to be prohibited in virtual worlds? Establish rules and laws? In my opinion, yes, it is essential and it must be done very early. The advantage is that there are already laws in real life that can apply in these dematerialized universes. These basic rules, the fact of not attacking others, of not stealing from them, etc., must be introduced and respected by avatars and therefore by people.

There is also the question of money. In these virtual spaces, Internet users will spend their real money. There is a whole economy that we already know from video games. Thereupon, user education is necessary to prevent abuse.

From when will we be able to live this virtual life?

We already have experiences of metaverse but "degraded". I think of Second Life which was an embryo of the concept with the technologies of the time: the internet on the computer screen with a very unrealistic start to 3D.

Today, we are already experiencing metaverse experiences on our computer or smartphone screens. We will be moving to virtual reality within the next five years. That is to say, we will put on a special helmet and everything will change: we will perceive a world in relief, we will be able to move around, make natural gestures that will be virtually reproduced. The impression of being there, from a sensory point of view, will be very strong.

If we see further, within ten years, the stage of augmented reality will be crossed. New glasses different from those used for virtual reality will arrive on the market. They will enrich reality by integrating 3D objects. The border between the real and the virtual will blur and the two worlds will gradually merge.