Virtual worlds, a not so green Meta
We hear a lot about the metaverse, but the concept is still unclear to the general public. The company Meta, ex-Facebook, has launched a campaign “Impact will be real” to educate on the subject. The commercial shows a surgeon training on a virtual mannequin and a history student projected in ancient Greece.
The promise of the metaverse
With 3D, the metaverse facilitates the transmission of school and university knowledge, as well as the training of professionals. It allows creation of experiences without putting learners in dangerous situations, thanks to the projection in artificial environments.
Advocates of the metaverse also point the positive impact on the carbon footprint, due to the elimination of unnecessary travel. Users can work without commuting or attend a conference on the other side of the world without traveling.
For many, the metaverse is already shaping up the future of the Web. That alone is enough to justify the huge investments made by the Meta company, which wants to maintain a dominant position. Many other large companies are hoping in.
However, can we say that the metaverse is really virtuous? To what extent is it compatible with the current issues of responsible digital technology?
The real environmental impact of the metaverse
Today, the digital sector is responsible for 4% of global gas emissions. Servers, terminals, the use of rare minerals and the waste produced represent the other side of the coin.
As for the metaverse, it requires much more computing power than today (we’re talking about an order of magnitude 1,000 times more). This means more and more data centers to transmit these very high definition images in real time.
We must also take into account the renewal of equipment such as the purchase of virtual reality helmets and goggles, and more powerful computers, transferrring even more data on servers. The manufacture of these terminals requires the extraction, by a very toxic process, of rare minerals, mainly from China.
What is at stake in Green IT ?
The metaverse can be questioned with regard to the criteria of responsible digital technology, which concern accessibility, security, attention grabbing and digital sobriety.
In terms of accessibility, it is obvious that the situation will worsen. Indeed, the metaverse is likely to further widen the inequality gap in terms of equipment power and connection speed.
Security will probably also be put aside, under the pretext of offering the user an ever more fluid experience.
As far as capturing attention through design processes is concerned, it is safe to say that the metaverse will only intensify the problem. Its immersive power already makes the user captive. The quest for time, money and user data pushes companies to deploy more and more ethically objectionable processes. The metaverse will increase the effect of dark patterns, elements designed to induce behavior contrary to the user’s interest.
Finally, as far as digital sobriety is concerned, the aspects already mentioned concerning the cost of resources show that the gamble is not won.
In summary, the metaverse seems to go against the grain of the Digital Responsibility movement. However, considering the urgency of the environmental situation, the idea of imposing sobriety values on the metaverse cannot be without hope.
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