I get it. The metaverse. Buzzword bingo. And now everybody’s beating the drums for it, throwing cash at it, claiming it’s going to be the next big thing. As someone who’s spent years immersed in the real world of music, technology, and human connection – spinning tracks at underground tech events and witnessing the pulse of genuine interaction – I'm here to tell you: it's a trap. A gilded cage that unfortunately was created on a wave of enthusiasm and deep-rooted misunderstanding about what it means to be human.

Real Life is Still Unmatched

Think about it. You put on a helmet, step into a virtual environment and… huh? Stop putting in experiences you can do, only better, in the real world! Even as a DJ, I can tell you that nothing can replace the energy and hype of a full-blown performance. Nothing a virtual concert can provide will compare to that sweat, the collective euphoria, and the bass thumping in your chest. You just can't digitize that.

And it's not just music. Remember that incredible hawker stall you visited in Singapore? The scene where they fry char kway teow over a blazing stove, smoke rising into the air? Can you replicate that in the metaverse? The sizzle of the wok, the back and forth with the hawker, the shared tables filled with lively discussion? Forget about it. The metaverse is a sterile, depressing facsimile, a mere, dim echo of the colorful, chaotic, sensory adventure that is actual life.

We are physical beings. We crave tangible experiences. We long for that sunshine on our faces, to feel that wind in our hair. We crave the deliciousness of non-manufactured food and the restorative feel of human connection. All the 5G and ultra high-speed internet in the world won’t make up for that. The metaverse promises connection, but it delivers isolation, trapping us in virtual echo chambers, further disconnecting us from the world around us. I know I’m looking forward to getting a plate of Hainanese chicken rice. It’s a lot more enticing than wandering around a 30-year-old pixelated copy of it!

A Shiny Distraction From Real Problems

Look around. We're facing real, tangible crises: climate change, economic inequality, political polarization. And what are we doing? Funneling billions into building imaginary universes that you can purchase fake purses in and meet with people in 3D avatars. Talk about fiddling while Rome burns.

The metaverse is just a distraction. It’s a shiny object that distracts us from all the urgent issues that we should actually be tackling. It’s the equivalent of giving someone facing poverty or structural injustice a VR headset so they can “experience it somewhere else.” It’s a band-aid fix to a sucking chest wound.

Rather than creating Metaverse worlds, we can and must fund real world solutions. Sustainable tech solutions, green innovation, and greener data management practices are crucial now more than ever. Focusing on energy-efficient hardware and eco-friendly software. We need to stop investing in technologies that create climate crises and digital ghettos for the few. Now, let’s use the power of AI to solve the world’s problems. Instead we can double down on producing energy that is more powerful, more efficient, and cleaner—just like we must do to revolutionize our food system. Why create a new virtual world when we need to save the real world?

Exploitation in Disguise, Period

Let's be honest. The metaverse is not about creating a more immersive, inclusive, connected world. It’s about creating a new normal for corporate America. It's about creating new avenues for data collection, targeted advertising, and, let's face it, exploitation.

The business models fueling the metaverse are mainly centered on maximizing value extraction from users, rather than building rewarding experiences. They’re after your data, your attention, your dollars. Their goal is to build a digital addiction that ensnares you. This digital opiate hooks you in so you’re constantly engaging, paying, and sharing an increasingly intimate profile of yourself.

Paired with the growing convergence of AI and blockchain, it’s going to get even worse. Imagine a society in which an algorithm is perpetually tracking and studying your digital twin. Or rather, they gamify it under the guise of “personalization” and “engagement.” Sounds dystopian? It's closer than you think. The metaverse as it’s typically conceived holds a lot of potential for interoperability and decentralized ownership though. That promise is too often stymied by centralized control and corporate influence. Wake up! This isn’t the decentralized, utopian future you were led to expect.

I'm not saying technology is inherently bad. Far from it. But we should be more discerning about the technologies we adopt. Furthermore, we need to choose tangible real-world impact over shiny virtual escapism. The metaverse is not the future. It's a trap. It’s time to turn our attention from creating the perfect virtual world to creating a better real world, one rooted in authentic connection, meaningful experience and holistic solutions. It’s time to stop pursuing the shiny object and tackle the real issues that are right under your nose. Your well-being – and the well-being of the entire planet – relies on it.

In the meantime, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to procure some char kway teow. The real kind.