Chapter 6 of my 2016 book ‘Technology vs Humanity' it seems to be more relevant than ever, given the recent Facebook and Metaverse discussions. Now you can download it as audiobook-chapter for free, in multiple languages – links are at the bottom of this post.

‘As we rave through the all-night honeymoon party that is tech, it’s salutary to think about the price to be paid tomorrow, and forever.‘ Chapter 6 intro of ‘Technology vs Humanity' book

5 years after my book Technology vs Humanity was released it seems like there will be no escaping “the Metaverse“. Read this on Forbes: “Like It Or Not, The Metaverse May Be The Next Big Thing For Events And Conferences” (…) “While the immersive metaverse of science fiction movies isn’t quite here yet, Facebook (Meta) believes they will have something close to it in the next five years.”

You can read my view on the Metaverse and virtual reality in this recent post where I talk about the great reduction.

“With the rise of AR, this last bastion of reliable reality could completely disappear. And when that happens, it will only exacerbate the social divisions that threaten us.”

Read: Augmented reality inventor warns the Metaverse could be far worse than social media via BigThink

In many ways one could argue technology is like religion or a drug, or both… In some reasonable doses, it might be agreeable, tolerable or even positive, but as with addictions such as drinking and smoking, too much of it will ruin your life. The same is true for exponential technologies such as VR, MR and AI: without new rules, better (wiser!!) regulation and new social contracts we may find ourselves in a perpetual state of dependence and confusion sooner rather than later.

Have a look at this video series, launched in the beginning of 2021: ‘What to expect for 2021' (I will have a 2022 update shortly, as well)

How could social media become ‘human' again? How can we stop the disinformation, dehumanization and dataism that has resulted from social media's algorithmic obsessions? Below is one of my best keynotes on the Future of Social Media.

In Chapter 6 of my book “Technology vs Humanity” one of the things I talk about is ‘the magic explosion':

Once what I like to call the magic quotient is upped exponentially, these until-now latent problems regarding the abuse or evil use of a given technology will become magnified—perhaps exponentially— again, gradually then suddenly. While I am still optimistic about our collective abilities to channel the power of exponential technologies, I am also concerned that, in almost every instance of exponential and combinatorial change, there is a real risk that we may go from magic to manic to toxic in a very short timeframe.

Now you can listen to, and download this chapter as an MP3, in the 3 different languages, see below.

If you enjoy it, please consider buying the ebook or the audiobook via Payhip (ENG, ES, PT and FR). or via Scribd, or of course, on AMAZON:). You can also leave a comment on the book's page on Good Reads.

ENGLISH

PORTUGUESE

SPANISH