I find the development and dissemination of advanced Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality products to be deeply disconcerting. Facebook has rebranded to “Meta” which, in light of the proliferation of video conferencing and a greater reliance on digital communication in reaction to COVID-19, signifies a pledge to create technologies that I believe challenge our existence on a fundamental level. We have seen the promise of a “free internet” - a utopic digital space of egalitarianism and information exchange - distorted and perverted by neoliberal capitalism. I think it is safe to say that these new technologies will be similarly optimized for-profit and ubiquity at the expense of humanity. I want to create a song about the existential quandary that this technology will surely bring to the societal fore. It’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better. The song is tentatively called “Welcome to the Metaverse”. The underlying notion of a “metaverse” is that we exist on several planes - not just the physical one. I suppose in judeo-christian and other traditions we have the “Father,Son, and Holy Spirit” representing different planes of existence, but the fundamental difference is that these concepts (in their best and most compassionate iterations) are modes of spiritual grounding and humility. In the metaverse that Meta and their shareholders are developing, undoubtedly, we will just have multiple ways to buy more shit and feel like shit.


REFERENCES:


The Bible

My own Spiritual Practice

Music

lyrics, song, production, mixing, and mastering by tompsy. Hit me up for affordable rates! :)

Lyrics:

METAVERSE
WHERE’S MY BODY
WHERE’S MY SPIRIT
YOU CAN KEEP IT

UR SO META 
IM SO META
UR SO META

SAY WHAT?

CAN U FEEL IT?
WHEN IM IN IT?
AM I INSIDE?
YET?

IS THIS HEAVEN?
IS THIS HEAVEN?
  A PICTURE OF HEAVEN?

Metaverse

Tompsy