Marketing in the Metaverse: challenges and opportunities
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2025 10:11 am
Chris Wylie , the Cambridge Analytical whistleblower who pushed for a massive overhaul of privacy practices and legislation around the world and author of Mindfuck: Cambridge Analytica and “The Plot to Break America,” recently spoke with Cheetah Digital CMO Richard Jones about the metaverse, marketing, and the future of privacy.
According to Wylie, the answer to the above question is a resounding no . In fact, it might be better to start pumping the breaks into the metaverse now before it infiltrates our daily lives.
By comparing the metaverse to a physical entity like a skyscraper or an airplane, Wylie paints a picture of how digital worlds should be designed with so-called emergency exits or other protections. It should have a kind of building code that protects its users. It should protect their privacy and, more importantly, their mental health.
The metaverse is believed to be built to allow humans to roam freely. However, the reality is that it could be designed to present its users with a particular narrative that skews their reality.
“It’s something that we as citizens, not just south africa phone number list marketers, need to consider. We, our children and their children’s children will move further into a digital society ,” Jones says.
“We need to ask questions — ‘Is there a need for a regulatory body or some level of social protection?’ — as the metaverse develops and touches every aspect of our lives.”
Building a new privacy framework
There are more safety regulations for a toaster in a kitchen than for a platform that touches a billion people. Wylie says it's time for change. The best way to realize that change is to start at the source.
“A big part of the problem is that we’re not framing the conversation around who’s responsible. The engineers and architects. The things that are causing harm are the products of architecture and engineering ,” Wylie says.
“When you look at how we relate other technology products and other engineering products, whether it’s aerospace, civil engineering, pharmaceuticals, etc.; there are safety regulations. There are inspections. We need to start looking at technological constructs on the Internet to ensure that there are regulatory frameworks in place to create a safer environment . ”
Personalization of experiences in the metaverse
Today, many people use smart devices to track health statistics, communicate with loved ones, and entertain themselves. Wylie predicts that in the coming decades, these smart devices will have a stronger hold on users. Smart devices may become the only way they can interact with modern society.
“Imagine 10 or 20 years from now where the internet evolves into the metaverse. You can’t participate in society without entering into this augmented reality. And then imagine an institution like Fox News taking over people’s reality. Not just what they see on TV, but literally what they see,” he says.
Even further, Wylie questions what happens when people start personalizing their experiences to suit their preferences. For example, racists might remove people of color from their view. Or people might create a society where they walk down the street and no longer see homeless people. They no longer see larger social problems.
“What happens to a society when we no longer fully understand what is happening around us, and the only ones who understand it are those who are in charge of promoting it?” he asks. “That is a really important question, and it is not far-fetched . ”
At nominal (accounting) value
Despite Facebook’s flashy algorithms, now called Meta, that encourage one-sided opinions and fuel misinformation, marketers continue to pump vast sums of money into its platform every year. But is it worth it? Are marketers right to believe that Facebook’s data is as valuable as they think?
According to Wylie, absolutely. “From a purely functional standpoint, yes. It’s incredibly valuable data ,” he admits.
However, marketers who use that data to create personalized ads aren't the problem. The problem is a bit more complicated than that.
“There’s a difference between personalized advertising and creating an entire ecosystem using that logic ,” Wylie says.
"When you look at the news that Facebook and other social media platforms provide to users, it extends this logic that originated for advertising, showing content that is relevant to you . "
“It’s not just the basic stuff that makes your ads more efficient and also less annoying to the people who receive them. It extends to, ‘You should only see the things that engage you the most, period, in all the information you consume,’ to the point where the only information you consume is the stuff that generally makes you really angry because that’s what’s going on to get you to click on things. And that’s different from marketing .”
According to Wylie, the answer to the above question is a resounding no . In fact, it might be better to start pumping the breaks into the metaverse now before it infiltrates our daily lives.
By comparing the metaverse to a physical entity like a skyscraper or an airplane, Wylie paints a picture of how digital worlds should be designed with so-called emergency exits or other protections. It should have a kind of building code that protects its users. It should protect their privacy and, more importantly, their mental health.
The metaverse is believed to be built to allow humans to roam freely. However, the reality is that it could be designed to present its users with a particular narrative that skews their reality.
“It’s something that we as citizens, not just south africa phone number list marketers, need to consider. We, our children and their children’s children will move further into a digital society ,” Jones says.
“We need to ask questions — ‘Is there a need for a regulatory body or some level of social protection?’ — as the metaverse develops and touches every aspect of our lives.”
Building a new privacy framework
There are more safety regulations for a toaster in a kitchen than for a platform that touches a billion people. Wylie says it's time for change. The best way to realize that change is to start at the source.
“A big part of the problem is that we’re not framing the conversation around who’s responsible. The engineers and architects. The things that are causing harm are the products of architecture and engineering ,” Wylie says.
“When you look at how we relate other technology products and other engineering products, whether it’s aerospace, civil engineering, pharmaceuticals, etc.; there are safety regulations. There are inspections. We need to start looking at technological constructs on the Internet to ensure that there are regulatory frameworks in place to create a safer environment . ”
Personalization of experiences in the metaverse
Today, many people use smart devices to track health statistics, communicate with loved ones, and entertain themselves. Wylie predicts that in the coming decades, these smart devices will have a stronger hold on users. Smart devices may become the only way they can interact with modern society.
“Imagine 10 or 20 years from now where the internet evolves into the metaverse. You can’t participate in society without entering into this augmented reality. And then imagine an institution like Fox News taking over people’s reality. Not just what they see on TV, but literally what they see,” he says.
Even further, Wylie questions what happens when people start personalizing their experiences to suit their preferences. For example, racists might remove people of color from their view. Or people might create a society where they walk down the street and no longer see homeless people. They no longer see larger social problems.
“What happens to a society when we no longer fully understand what is happening around us, and the only ones who understand it are those who are in charge of promoting it?” he asks. “That is a really important question, and it is not far-fetched . ”
At nominal (accounting) value
Despite Facebook’s flashy algorithms, now called Meta, that encourage one-sided opinions and fuel misinformation, marketers continue to pump vast sums of money into its platform every year. But is it worth it? Are marketers right to believe that Facebook’s data is as valuable as they think?
According to Wylie, absolutely. “From a purely functional standpoint, yes. It’s incredibly valuable data ,” he admits.
However, marketers who use that data to create personalized ads aren't the problem. The problem is a bit more complicated than that.
“There’s a difference between personalized advertising and creating an entire ecosystem using that logic ,” Wylie says.
"When you look at the news that Facebook and other social media platforms provide to users, it extends this logic that originated for advertising, showing content that is relevant to you . "
“It’s not just the basic stuff that makes your ads more efficient and also less annoying to the people who receive them. It extends to, ‘You should only see the things that engage you the most, period, in all the information you consume,’ to the point where the only information you consume is the stuff that generally makes you really angry because that’s what’s going on to get you to click on things. And that’s different from marketing .”