Tyler Cowen: evaluation

Transcript context

…I think there are a few different ways to unpack that. First and foremost, I need to emphasize that there’s a misconception that the metaverse means that everything we do will shift to 3D. It’s quite likely that many of the tasks we perform today with devices that are decades old, that are primarily based on 2D interaction, typing in text, will continue to do so. Much like we would recognize we’re deep into the mobile and cloud era, and yet we still use personal computers, local storage. Most data originates and terminates on a mobile device, and yet it’s transmitted through fixed-line networks. Don’t think of 3D as a replacement overall. The second point that I’d say is from a design perspective, an intuitive interaction model. We didn’t evolve for thousands of years to tap 2D glass, to stare at a camera through a Zoom screen, not making eye contact with the recipient. Grids of apps are not an intuitive way to interact with information. So, many believe that shifting into 3D is a more natural and better way to express some information in some use cases. The third thing that I would say is, if you take a look at the arc of what you just mentioned — the 2D internet — it began asynchronous with static files, text, no colors even. It evolved into limited imagery, colors, sound files. Today, in 2022, we embrace synchronous media — such as you and I right now — with rich interactive content. Younger demographics engage in constant streams of near-live or live content being shared. When you take a look at the youngest demographic today — Gen Alpha and Gen Z — they’re already embracing 3D-based platforms for socializing, increasingly for education at large. When you observe that history, many — myself included — come to that conclusion. You have a new book out this July, The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionize Everything, in my opinion, the very best book on its topic. How exactly for us do you define the metaverse? Tell us what that means. I actually try to describe the metaverse. You’ll find that a technical definition doesn’t illuminate much. If you look up the definition of the internet, it says the internet protocol suite. A description is more productive. I describe it as a massively scaled and interoperable network of 3D-rendered, real-time virtual worlds, which can be experienced persistently and synchronously by an effectively unlimited number of users, each with an individual sense of presence. What I am effectively describing is a virtual plane parallel to the physical world, which, in addition to being able to do many things that we can’t do in the real world, replicates it. We all participate at the same time, with no cap to what we can do, and why we can do it, and how many people can participate.…

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