THE METAVERSE
THE METAVERSE
trying to optimise its use and take into account the sustainability challenges and issues.” One of the concerns around the metaverse has been the security aspect of the technology in terms of how we govern and regulate in a new digital world. At Neoma, due to creating the space as a fourth campus, it means that no-one can be anonymous within the platform – everyone is identifiable by their name and programme. The school has also introduced a charter on how to use the space; they have spent time teaching students how to behave in the online campus and what they can and can’t do. Goudey also explains that, despite being highly customisable, you can’t just do anything in the metaverse – for example, you can’t create your avatar as a dinosaur. He describes the technology as much more of a B2B metaverse set-up, rather than something that students would be able to misuse. Regulatory matters In terms of regulation, Sadik-Rozsnyai believes that the metaverse is still in its initial phase and it is useful to have not too strict an environment, so that you can invent what is relevant. In her opinion, it solves safety issues as it allows people to be trained in what are sometimes dangerous situations but using a safe space. While regulation is something that has to transform alongside the technology, Rebernik also feels there is some way to go before the metaverse can reach its full potential. She identifies the biggest problem in the current metaverse solution as the fact you can’t see other people’s faces, making it difficult to determine users’ emotions. Seeing how people blink or move their heads forms an important part of non-verbal cues in the context of understanding someone’s personality. With the technology is still evolving, Rebernik is particularly excited about devices that could track an individual’s eye movements, meaning that you would be able to tell exactly where a person was looking and more accurately focus the conversation in that direction. But is the metaverse still as prominent now we can once again gather in real life? It’s a mixed bag. For a while, it was something that provoked huge debate, and all kinds of organisations and businesses were eager to get on board. That is, if they can afford it – tech companies are currently in the process of making major layoffs as a potential recession nears. Disney is just one of the big players who recently completely scrapped its metaverse project and disbanded the team that was developing it. It cannot be denied, however, that there is still a huge buzz around the metaverse, with a feeling that the possibilities could be truly limitless. Now the goldrush mentality of trying to be the first entrant is over, real innovation can start to take place.
“You need to consider how to redesign the learning experience. Even when you are in the classroom, you need to rework your course in such a way as to make it more interactive for your students.” New kids on the block The metaverse, while expanding the reach of traditional institutions, such as Neoma’s extra campus, has also allowed new contenders to enter the market. Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences was created when Christian Rebernik saw his child falling asleep during an online learning session; he realised that, despite all the global transformation that had taken place since he was at school, the way knowledge was transferred hadn’t altered. Rebernik saw a disconnect between the memorisation skills needed to succeed at school and what skills were needed at work. “That’s what employers want, they need people who can solve problems, who can communicate and know how to learn. This idea of learning by heart is an outdated way of doing things and that’s how Tomorrow University has evolved.” He and his co-founder Thomas Funke wanted to create a new university where human interaction was at the heart of everything. “Learning is a social thing, we learn together most effectively – so for us, connection is the most important part,” he explains. The joy of the metaverse is the serendipity that can be achieved through it, maintains Rebernik. “We are social beings and we need to connect, especially before and after each teaching session – that’s where you can talk to your friends about the struggles you are having or ask your lecturer for help. That is why the metaverse for us is so important – because it supports better social interaction, you can see who is talking to whom and jump into discussions on an ad hoc basis. You can ‘bump’ into other participants easily.” Sustainability is key At Essca, Sadik-Rozsnyai believes one of the main benefits of the metaverse is the sustainability aspect. “The technology can create gas emissions and consume a lot of energy, so this should put pressure on society to only make use of it when it is meaningful and innovative in its use. “For example, if you organise a course with 40 students and because it’s an online MBA all the participants are international, this consumes more energy and the carbon footprint is higher if you conduct the sessions on Microsoft Teams and everyone turns on their cameras. Environmentally, it’s a better option to do it on the metaverse, via a platform like Second Life , using an avatar. “It’s important that companies and business schools keep in mind that this is a new technology; it has some promising use cases, but since the beginning I have been
34 | Ambition | MAY 2023
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