Thread by @JustCallMe_AK

I just started reading Coinbase's blog entry on what the metaverse is to get a more abstract understanding of it. For reference, here is a link to the blog: blog.coinbase.com/how-coinbase-t…

And I think I get it. If successful, it will create a universe in which capitalists in the physical world can share some of the rewards and obligations of managing physical infrastructure via blockchains and corresponding cryptocurrencies with "mom and pop" node operators.

This new class of node operators, both large and small, can now treat the pool of services such as storage, compute, etc. as a communal resource as to which they have elastic, prorated access to for rent-seeking purposes

A new set of innovators step up to pay the virtual rent so they can then provide their own set of services marked by immersive experiences, formed through the use of augmented or virtual reality to lower friction incurred by transitioning from one potential vendor to the next.

This already seems a lot like what people enjoy today in gaming, but what really sticks out to me is the possibility of end users persisting their actions in the metaverse to the real world via 3D printing, and IoT devices

Given the inhibits that social distancing has placed on working and building in physical proximity to one another, it seems that this last possibility might be what carries the metaverse out of obscurity and into the mainstream

Honestly, it seems like a lot of the hype surrounding the metaverse is just that: hype. Contrary to what a lot of its fiercest advocates say, it doesn't seem poised to make any material steps towards a more egalitarian society.

Rather, it seems like the synthesis of

1. an improvement in the consolidation and metering of physical infrastructure

and

2. a standardization of pertinent data retrieval across multiple industries

is much more likely to reinforce status quo

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