How To Make The Metaverse Cool

The Company Makes The Location

Several initiatives have tried to bring a “metaverse” to fruition. So far, none have hit critical mass.

Part of the problem is the need for firsthand experience: the immersive feel of VR is hard to convey without trying it. Still, borrowing a device from a friend or having a go at the mall is not difficult. Plenty of people get queasy in VR, of course, and there are no ideal solutions for them.

Technical limitations and expense are another factor. Most advertisements for metaverse-type experiences look barely more realistic than Second Life -- presumably aiming at the lowest rung of fidelity to reach a broader audience. Yet Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge on Quest and PS:VR shows the technology is already perfectly capable of immersive experiences.

The greatest drag is simply a lack of interest. The “What’s in it for me?” factor is crucial. Cajoling people into mandatory fun is pushing a string, and bound to failure. The metaverse is cringe, and everyone knows it.

People need to feel captivated enough to buy in first. How? Enhanced parasocial relationships.

A parasocial relationship is one where one party knows the other -- at least superficially -- but the recognition is not returned. We have parasocial relationships with celebrities, artists, politicians, and YouTubers. They occupy our minds regularly, but the street runs one way.

People can feel a desperate need to validate their parasociality. In the world of camming and streaming, people pay huge sums just to be mentioned in some way, or to have some very small credit within a piece of content crowd-sponsored by Patreon or Twitch.

This very powerful impulse to connect with those we admire is the secret to making the Metaverse work. There are two main ways to accomplish this:

1. Intimate Concerts

Concerts suck. They are expensive. The artist is frequently late. The food is a rip-off, the toilets are disgusting, the seating is nonexistent, and the view may be blocked by someone taller and more enthusiastic. They can be dangerous, and getting home alongside a throng of people with the same goal can be a nightmare. You may need to travel a great distance, especially if you live in a relative backwater. Yet we endure all of it because we respect the artists, and appreciate the shared experience with other enthusiasts.

Virtual concerts could be a genuine game-changer for those seeking a closer sense of connection with stars they admire. Imagine bringing your favourite artist to your living room -- except better, because in reality the acoustics and logistics would be a nightmare. Some companies are already offering platforms for virtual concerts, though they could go much further with better camera facilities and bidirectional communication.

How about virtual backstage tours and opportunities to briefly ‘meet’ celebrities, algorithmically shooed away after a while? What fan wouldn’t be interested in that?

2. Intimate Set Visits

Some sets from The Expanse were offered to the public for 360-degree viewing, which is a start, but they could have gone much further with interactive and zoom-in elements. Plenoptic cameras, like those by Lytro, can add a whole other layer of experience. The 3D depth info generated from such cameras can be used to enhance the ability to walk around a virtual scene. Fans can literally walk around a virtual reconstruction of a real 3D set, and examine anything they wish to in detail. All kinds of easter eggs can be hidden there, or even interacted with as discrete objects. These same sets can be transposed directly into games also.

Scenes could even be shot using this system to create a virtual holographic theatre, letting fans watch the action (and join in) within the set itself -- a rich traditional narrative made personally meaningful.

Both methods are powerful ways to pull people in, because they hit the parasociality buttons hard.

I reckon Apple is well-positioned to crack the cool factor for the metaverse. The company has a long history of co-opting celebrity cachet and cultivating a sense of distinction in its customers.

Fundamentally, the value of any club comes from who is in it, and by extension who is not. The metaverse needs to start as an invite-only private club, then gradually open up. The first venture to crack the formula with these forms of parasocial engagement will win the battle for the virtual domain.

[Update two years after this was first written: I’m thoroughly delighted that initiatives such as The Roddenberry Archive are bringing these concepts to life.]