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Comment by barbazoo | Hacker News Reader

> Put on a pair of sunglasses and you can be in the room with anyone in the world. It will be radically personal and intimate after decades of impersonal, disconnected, inhumane and isolating tech.

And how will that makes them money? The only thing that's going to be more "personal and intimate" is the way in which they deliver ads and the same divisive and polarizing content. It'll be be way worse that it is now. Imagine how bad things got simply by inserting text and pictures into your social media feed. What happens when you're fully immersed in the "metaverse" with ads and divisive content literally be all around you. And no two people get the same content either. It's horrifying.

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Fully recording and controlling an immersive environment sounds like the ultimate money making proposition to me.

I've spent time playing Poker Stars, Table Tennis, Rec Room and Alt Space interacting with adults. The interactions I've had are nothing like posting void-screaming updates to your feed and are everything like being there with a real person. People are kinder too, this is after all a real person in front of you and it is just as intensely embarrassing to make a fool out of yourself as it would be in real life. I recently had a nice conversation with a man about his partner's cancer diagnosis and was able to offer him real human empathy in a moment where the headset and avatars fell away. It reminds me of the intimacy that old POTS telephone lines had, like whispering into each other's ears. The potential is all there and the execution lies in the decade ahead. We will see, but I am paying attention.

We don’t have to imagine what it’s like to be surrounded by ads, because that’s literally the physical world. Billboards, posters, and screens creating awareness for new brands and content are everywhere we look. It’s been that way for decades, and the world hasn’t ended yet. It’s not that big of a deal.

I don't think what you're talking about, where I live, life is not at all like you described. Billboards aren't allowed except on reserves here in Canada. Unless you're in a commercial setting, you don't see posters or screens everywhere.

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