The Metaverse, Social Media & Web 3.0 Security
With Mark Zuckerberg’s message roaring loudly and clearly, after changing his companies name from the household brand Facebook to Meta, we can be confident that it is with great warrant and cause.
He believes, along with many others, that the internet’s next major evolutionary step is the Metaverse, also known as Web 3.0.
The Metaverse, in its essence, will bring all aspects of cyberspace more to life, making it more captivating, including the use of virtual digital personas in social media and other web platforms such as avatars.
In this post, let’s briefly touch upon what the Metaverse is likely to have in store for us and its impact on social media and cyber security.
The Excitement Vulnerability
Mr. Zuckerberg’s excitement is likely to be shared by millions of technology aficionados and avid social media users, including existing and aspiring influencers.
This excitement could pose a significant vulnerability to web security awareness. The core foundations of cyberspace and computing will remain the same, and therefore the same threats and new cyber threats are very likely to surface.
Threats such as a driveby download, ransomware, password cracking, and keylogging malware will still be there and perhaps get more sophisticated.
We should not get short-sighted with all of the exuberant Metaverse-related innovations and, in fact, raise our awareness of web security and privacy.
The First Excitement Vulnerability Countermeasure
The first, wisest, and prudent step to take is to download a free trial of a web security solution for all your endpoint devices and their respective operating systems. Endpoint devices include laptops, desktops, tablets, and smartphones running Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
During the free trial period, explore product characteristics such as ease of use and general UX or User Experience, including all types of content curated by the company, such as online help and much more.
Explore additional options such as a VPN solution and browser-level protection add-ons.
A free trial typically spans no more than a month. Still, in reality, if you explore the product for about 30 minutes a day with focus, you should be able to reach a conclusive and warranted opinion within less than a week.
Once you have reached a rock-solid opinion coupled with product reviews from unbiased third-party sources and customer testimonials, the next wisest and most cyber responsible step is to purchase the full version with all respective additional offers such as a VPN solution, to ensure uninterrupted protection.
So Much In-Store
The Web 3.0 and the Metaverse are set to take a major leap for the web and hence humanity with human digital interactions and their related augmented experiences.
Exciting related technologies such as VR Virtual Reality, AR Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, Wearables including possible very interesting AI Artificial Intelligence, ML Machine Learning integrations are likely to become more mainstream.
Interactions are likely to be further enhanced via 3D artificial avatars powered by AI in many social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and much more.
As a result of this web revolution, ultra-innovative social media platforms with specific niches will surface and perhaps even become leaders in the space.
Such events are likely to lead to acquisitions by companies such as Meta, formerly Facebook, and the now Microsoft-owned LinkedIn.
Let’s Imagine LinkedIn Powered by the Metaverse
As previously mentioned, social media brands or channels we have grown accustomed to over the last decade or so are likely to offer significant innovations. Let’s take LinkedIn and imagine potential ways this business professional social media platform can leverage the Metaverse:
- Member chats via virtual rooms using personalized digital avatars.
- Initial screening by employers can be in virtual rooms using avatar-based interactions.
- Members can use their digital avatar as an option for a general introduction.
- Virtual events can use a virtual room where participants feel more like they are in the same room.
The above will make a massive difference in the platform’s efficacy. Given that the vast majority of human communication is non-verbal and via body language and emotionality, the 3D digital avatars powered by technologies such as wearable sensors will provide all sides with an optimized level of emotional expression. Body language will appear very similar to real-life in-person conversations when facilitated by a Metaverse-powered communication platform.
This article has been published in accordance with Socialnomics’ disclosure policy.
