The Metaverse, the Mind and our Cybernetic Future

Technology has continually expanded our horizons over the past hundred years. The radio brought the first instant stream of news, music, and information. The television animated those streams and offered a complete audio-visual experience. The computer and the internet brought the ability to interact with those streams — to create, communicate, and consume. The smartphone empowered us to stick the internet in our pockets and take it anywhere in the world. The virtual assistant provided the ability to speak directly with a digital intelligence and be understood.

Each step in this evolution of revolutions has been characterized by the same theme, which we may term “progressive immersion”. The separation between cyber and real worlds is increasingly blurred. Today, digital currencies pay for real goods, video games are a spectator sport, and AI personalities have thousands of followers. The inevitable next step is a digital/real continuum that transports us directly into cyberspace. The key question is what will this look like?

The Matter of the Metaverse

The way to think about the metaverse is as a 3D internet that blends with the real world —…