| Good morning, Marketer, and here are some cheerful thoughts about the metaverse. You have your metaverse marketing strategy in place, right? No, I thought not, and don’t worry because according to the experts I talk to we are going to be waiting a couple of years before it actually exists. And let me tell you, it’s strange to be researching a story about something that doesn’t exist. Thanks to VR and video games, of course, one has some idea of what the metaverse will be like. It seems such an inviting place. People, including the vulnerable and the young, will be able to cut themselves off from reality even more decisively than when playing an immersive video game. They’ll be able to do so for many hours at a stretch, wandering (virtually) through an environment, large parts of which are likely to be controlled by Facebook or Google or other giant companies that have proved so capable of creating safe digital environments, enhancing both our mental health and our social interactions. Okay, you detect some sarcasm there. The alternative to a metaverse dominated by big walled gardens might be Web3. But that’s a whole other story. Kim Davis
Editorial Director | 