Sci&Tech Writer Patrick Hughes praises Sci-Fi author Neal Stephenson’s mission to create a counter-cultural Metaverse whilst acknowledging that Stephenson has a long way to go before it becomes reality
To people familiar with science fiction of the early 90s, the rechristening of Facebook as Meta was an ill-omen. Whilst Mark Zuckerberg’s stated aim is to “bring the metaverse to life and help people connect, find communities and grow businesses,” the realisation of the metaverse in this form brings about an unwelcome sense of déjà vu.
The name ‘Metaverse’ is a creation of Neal Stephenson, who coined it in his seminal work, Snow Crash, as the name of the embodied digital world in which he set his story. Snow Crash is the root of a lot of contemporary visions of virtual reality, from goggles and body tracking, to digital currency and customizable avatars. But by adopting its name, Meta has perhaps jumped the gun; Snow Crash is very much a cautionary narrative.
Stephenson’s Metaverse ultimately becomes heavily commercialised, overrun by digital billboards, and controlled by corporations
Initially a hackers’ playground, Stephenson’s Metaverse ultimately becomes heavily commercialised, overrun by digital billboards, and controlled by corporations. The parallels between this, and Meta’s own growth from a consumer focused social network to a monolith of algorithms and data collection are uncomfortable at best, and paint a bleak future of Meta’s idea for a monetised virtual world.
Neal Stephenson seeks to upend the misunderstanding of his work by presenting an alternative form: Lamina1
