“For us, the Metaverse is a way to increase accessibility to communities,” says Daniel Liebeskind, CEO of the platform Topia, part of the Metaverse that’s taking the internet from asynchronous, static forms like email and forums, to synchronous, real-time interactions, sharing content with other people versus by oneself. This creator and user focused content means that people will form communities and gain access to worlds based on shared context, much like we do in the real world. Users will be able to customize their experience, own their own data, and by disimmediating any one centralized ecosystem, be able to take that data from one platform to another. There is no replacement for in-person events, but the metaverse provides a viable alternative that narrows the socio-economic divide that might otherwise prohibit some participants.
This decentralization of power is one of the most promising and enduring aspects about the future of cryptocurrency. Other current popular speculations about the value of cryptocurrency, like NFTs make Daniel roll his eyes, and he goes into more depth about those here.
What is worthy of concern is the dystopian future ushered in by AI, which several major corporations seem determined to make inevitable. The key to avoiding this is providing alternative outlets for the experience, for entrepreneurs to work together to be mindful and he discusses companies who are doing just that.
Quotes:
“I realized that I don’t need to figure a whole bunch of things out. Entrepreneurs are just people who are super deeply passionate about something, and are going to do whatever it takes to manifest that in the world.” ([5:17]-[5:30] | Daniel)
“If you’re in a 1,000 person Zoom experience, one person is talking to everyone else and all those other people aren’t really able to interact with each other. That’s not how it works in real life. That’s not how communities form. ([12:25]-[12:37] | Daniel)
“The thing that I find really fascinating is the idea of shared backends, public databases, being able to be more creator and user-oriented, own your own data, be able to bring it with you from platform to platform and disimmediate any one centralized ecosystem.” ([26:30]-[26:49] | Daniel)
“The speculative valuation frenzy around any one of these bubbles doesn’t really matter. What matters is the underlying technology and the ideas they represent. ([27:18]-[27:27] | Daniel)
“In the case of NFTs, owning a token represents is a ticket to a community.” ([32:38]-[32:47] | Daniel)
“One use case that exists now that I think will exist in the future, kind of like how sharks existed during the dinosaur age and they still exist, is decentralized finance. The ability to disimmediate banks. ([35:02]-[35:19] | Daniel)
“The term ‘metaverse’ was actually coined by Neil Stevenson in a book called Snowcrash about 30 years ago and that was a very dystopian concept. The end of humanity as we knew it. Even Ready Player One, which is more modern is very dystopian. Everybody works and lives in a digital space and they don’t know each other in real life, they never interact. It’s incredibly dystopian. That’s not what we should be hoping for, but it is what may happen if we’re not careful.” ([41:06]-[41:40] | Daniel)
Connect with Brendan Dell:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendandell/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BrendanDell
Instagram: @thebrendandell
TikTok: @brendandell39
Buy a copy of Brendan’s Book, The 12 Immutable Laws of High-Impact Messaging: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780578210926
Connect with Daniel Liebeskind:
LinkedIn: dliebeskind
Twitter: @dliebeskind
Instagram: @exploremagic
Check out Daniel Liebeskind’s recommended reads:
Zero to One: Notes on Startups or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters
https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=Zero+to+One
Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman
https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=Traction
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=Shantaram
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About the Author
Brendan Dell
Brendan Dell is an author and the founder of The Daily Creative. As a freelancer he's worked with clients like Expedia, Cvent, Panasonic, Brother, Windstream and 100+ more to build unignorable tech brands. At The Daily Creative, he shares advice and lessons to help freelancers level up.
