Thread by @danctheduck

I am wary of narrative BS driving tech trends.

Storytelling only needs to *feel* like it makes sense. But it never needs to produce solutions that function in the real world.

For those interested in the metaverse, VR, AR, etc, it is worth looking back at 'virtual worlds'

Virtual worlds had a clear narrative example that almost everyone referenced, the Holodeck.

There were over 50 episodes that described in lush detail the types of experiences you could have in a virtual space.

People watched them. And imagined 'what if this was real?'

The result was a flurry of investment in virtual spaces. 3D avatars, 3D chat rooms, 3D malls, 3D platforms. Remember VRML?

They were building what they'd seen.

It almost all failed. Quite dramatically. Why?

A writer's goal is to deliver a great story. In doing so they build in assumptions and constraints that may not be true.

The pop-culture constraints underpinning virtual worlds were bogus. Non-functional dramatic trappings.

False constraints
- You need 3D avatars. Star Trek needed 'real' people because a TV show needs actors.
- You need synchronous communication. Again TV shows benefit from scenes w people talking in real-time.
- There must be roleplay. Duh. The holodeck was literally theater😂

The world WAS taken over by virtual spaces. But they looked like social media.
- Async
- Trivial identity methods. Mostly a name
- Rich non-textual communication aka emojis.😎

All pragmatic, low-cost solutions to real-world input and logistics issues. <1% narrative BS.

It is fine to be inspired by fiction. Its purpose is to light a fire in our hearts. But it is *not* a blueprint.

And fiction LIES; deep subtle lies that prevent us from seeing the nuts-and-bolts reality of what we need to build.

(A pithy version of all this: "Icarus is a great dramatic story, but a poor blueprint for building a commercial airliner. Inventors who never questioned the 'obvious' need to use feathers and wax failed before they started.)

What is the narrative BS that you are using as blueprints for VR, AR, and the metaverse?

What are the unquestioned lies that exist for narrative purposes, but have no place in building functional real-world solutions? No matter how much they thrill your heart.