Metaverse, A Utopian Vision
Derived from the Ancient Greek prefix μετά, the word ‘meta’ has a meaning of succession and transformation. It denotes a higher nature, indicating a quest, a pursuit, and a change of condition in time and space. In our present times, the digital realm is increasingly seen as a space for creation, instigation, and postulation.
The birth of every new idea brings the promise of a new beginning. With the development of emerging technologies, we are posed with an opportunity to reimagine the virtual space as a new realm of reality - a utopia - which in itself is a concept that imagines the existence of an ideal society of improved humanity, equality, and meaning. Since Plato’s Republic and Thomas More, utopian visions have been accepted as blueprints as much as they have been discerned as parodies and satire. Oscillating between its Greek etymological meaning of “no place” and “good place”, the concept of utopia is as fluid as it is far-fetched, touching across the East and the West, captured by poets, writers, and inscribed in religious doctrines and mythological relics - from Hesiod’s Golden Age, to Homer’s Scheria, and Tao Yuanming’s Peach Blossom Spring, among others. Often found in ancient religious ideas, utopia is described as a paradise where man and nature lived in harmony. From the 21st century on, discussions around utopia expanded to economics, science, technology, and architecture, as well as movements and advocacies for feminist ideals and the ecology. The projections of these ideals reflect our collective aspirations for humanity, and a necessity in times of disruptions and despair.
Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, oil on oak panels, Museo del Prado, Madrid, with the left panel depicting the paradise of Eden.
Humanity in a Virtual World
In the negation of utopia in our existing world, many have looked beyond the physical realm in search of alternatives. In the conceptual realm there is John Lennon and Oko Ono’s Nutopia, in the digital realm there is the metaverse. Looking into the future, questions of how we will live together become imminent in face of the global pandemic and increasing geopolitical disruptions. Metaverse was first coined by Neal Stephenson in his novel Snow Crash (1992). Ever since the imaginary cyberspace was born, technology has been chasing the dream of this virtual world, of real time interaction in the digital space, and a brand new world that transcends physical boundaries and geographical constraints. Second Life is commonly described as the first virtual world that preludes the metaverse. Launched in 2003, the multiplayer online game enables social interaction through the use of avatars, and “residents” of Second Life can build, create, purchase, and trade virtual properties and services with other players.
Fascinated by the dichotomy of virtuality and reality, utopia and dystopia, Cao Fei’s 2007 work i.Mirror explores Second Life through the eyes of avatar China Tracy. In the three-part machina, we witness a virtual world of excess, capitalistic consumerism, and an emotional rollercoaster of loneliness, companionship, and deception. Familiar questions and yearnings we face in our physical world are brought to life in the virtual world, questioning the role of an artificial utopia that is ultimately created by humans. Building on her previous work and fascination with the urbanisation of China, Cao’s subsequent work, RMB City: A Second Life City Planning (2007) reimagines the future of China in an alternate realm. RMB City was a live project and opened to the public in 2009, not only was it a declaration of nationality in the white male dominated world, it was also a monumental undertaking of the creation of utopia. It had a running economy, including a governance system, real estate opportunities, a manifesto, and hosted live events and projects until its closing in 2011. Fifteen years on, the questions prompted by RMB City are still valid and may be more relevant than ever as we pave our way to the future of the metaverse.
© Cao Fei, 2007, RMB City, Courtesy of the artist, Vitamin Creative Space and Sprüth Magers
In Pursuit of the Metaverse
In 2021, we witnessed the mainstream adoption of NFTs and the metaverse following Facebook’s announcement of rebranding to Meta, promising the future of social media in the metaverse, where VR, AR and computer-generated 3D spaces will become the playing field for social interaction, collaboration, education and entertainment. While virtual worlds such as Meta’s Horizon Worlds and Microsoft’s Altspace focuses on VR technology as an extension of reality to connect, creators-led platforms such as Sandbox and Decentraland are built on the distributed ledgers of blockchain and celebrates ownership, interoperability, and encapsulate the value of digital assets through the digital scarcity of NFTs with virtual land and digital assets traded as NFTs. Token holders of the virtual platforms are also able to participate in governance of the platform through a Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (DAO) structure, denoting real ownership and participation in the virtual world. “I believe that the metaverse is a blank canvas and the next frontier of human civilization. And it doesn't matter if you're an artist or a designer, anyone who creates can create for the metaverse and create objects and services that make others’ lives enriched. That actually brings forth some kind of value and I think that the aesthetics and the philosophy behind the metaverse should be about humanism,” says artist Krista Kim who founded the Techism Movement in 2014 and is known for the creation of the first NFT house on Superare. With a carte blanche we are faced with the opportunity to create a new order in the digital realm, and artists and creators have an important role in the co-creation of these virtual spaces so that our collective desires can materialise in the virtual world.
© Mario Klingemann, 2022, The Metaverse as promised by Hieronymus Bosch. Courtesy of the artist.
The Utopian Dream
As the development of Web 3 and the metaverse progresses, questions around data sovereignty, privacy, and security have populated the digital space, while some have proposed rules for the metaverse, others are leading by example in the hopes to bring back the optimism of the 80s when the concept of VR was synonymous with its potential for genuine human connection, and a deepened appreciation of the world around us. In a recent conversation with New York Times, Jaron Lanier, often dubbed as the father of VR, shared his views on the metaverse as both an opportunity for us to have a deepened appreciation of reality, and at the same time the potential slippage into the “dark side”. He says, “The economic incentives in the economy are to exert more and more behaviour modification control over people,” warning us of the potentials of unconscious human manipulation in VR, and stressing the importance of a society where data dignity and values of democracy are upheld.
We are now at a unique crossroad where there is an opportunity to learn from the past and to take part in shaping the metaverse of the future. The current development of blockchain technology reflects the potential of a society that is inherently different to the traditional hierarchical, centralised structures of institutions. This re-conceptualisation of authority lends itself to an expansion of human agency and democracy. How these technologies will be developed and regulated would have tremendous impact on the utopian vision of an open and interoperable virtual realm.
© Injury x Real Parent, 2022, The Utopian Dream
At the same time, as the virtual and physical world become increasingly intertwined, instead of denying our reality, it is crucial for us to seek solutions in which technology can enhance our physical existence. In a discussion relating to the exhibition Critical Zones, the concept of utopia was re-examined. While the term utopia denotes transcendence, as artist and curator Peter Weibel asserts, “We have to refuse the classic idea of transcendence, the new kind of utopia is immanence.” In the redistribution of the local and global within the context of the global pandemic, philosopher Bruno Latour further describes this matrix as “Hypertopia” - a new concept of utopia where there is a shift from “nowhere to now here”. Instead of being seduced by utopian ideals, the immense potentials of the digital realm, or discouraged by dystopian visions of how technology is shaping humanity, utopia should not be a secularisation of ideals but instead well founded apprehensions that would enhance our physical realities. While forecasting the future is near impossible, as more people onboard virtual worlds, human behaviour and virtual communities will become increasingly complex, and real world issues we face today will also be reflected in the virtual world. How the space will unfold remains to be seen, and a positive digital future hinges on our thinking critically.
The article frist appeared on Cobo Social on 25 February 2022.
