Tag Archives: internet

Into the Metaverse: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (Part I: The Good)

Into the Metaverse: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (Part I: The Good)

Every few years a new phrase is pushed through marketing channels and trendsetters of all kinds, out into public consciousness. Recently, there has been one that particularly stands out as defining an emerging digital industry: The Metaverse.

Anybody who has read much science fiction, or played videogames, will know that this concept is hardly a new one even though packaged as such. Originating in 1992 with Neal Stephenson’s novel Snow Crash but perhaps more widely known through the recent cinematic adaptation of Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, the concept has seen steady development and is an often-seen trope in science fiction across all mediums; even if not always under that specific name.

As our use of computers and smartphones becomes universal and the global economy more interconnected, there has been a resurgence in the idea of a more all-encompassing engagement with online worlds. The rise of social media, accessible VR and the interoperable persistence afforded by cryptocurrency and blockchain technology converge into what is being seen as the next evolution of our online lives. This begins with the recent emergence of so-called Web3 that combines everything into a cohesive whole, bringing together socialising, entertainment, learning and increasingly our work or business environment, but it will quickly become even more immersive and central to our lives.

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How to Spot Propaganda Online

How to Spot Propaganda Online

How do you spot propaganda on social media? The advancement of propaganda online is a pressing issue. We are now faced with a constant onslaught of manipulative information campaigns from government and corporate sources across the entire length of the political and economic spectrum.

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Top 10 Futurist Websites (2020 Edition)

Top 10 Futurist Websites (2020 Edition)

Eight years ago I put together a list of the Top 10 Futurist Websites, a post that continues to be the most popular on the site.  Now that it’s 2020 and the future is officially here, the time has come to update the list and see if anything has changed. Interestingly, all of the sitesContinue Reading

24hrs Left for the Community Cube Kickstarter – Making Privacy Easy(er)

Just a quick post today (the 21st update this month!) to highlight that the Community Cube Kickstarter campaign is now entering into its final 24hrs. In my recent post on currently running Kickstarter campaigns for futurists I mentioned that this is one of the campaigns that I am personally backing (along with the Kokoon EEGContinue Reading

What Do You Want to See in a Digital Bill of Rights? The People Have Voted!

As we celebrate the 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta it was the British Library that released my favourite piece.Continue Reading

9 Kickstarter Campaigns for Futurists (Open Now!)

Popular ideas on the platform, those that hit the zeitgeist effectively whilst seeming viable, really open up to us what the next few years of consumer products have in store.Continue Reading