Jan 18 2022

Try a Little Reality, Man

So, I’m more than a little late to the “Snow Crash” book – as it was published in 1992 – 30 years ago.

Author Neal Stephenson coined the term “metaverse” in his 1992 science-fiction novel “Snow Crash,” which envisions a virtual reality-based successor to the internet. In the novel, people use digital avatars of themselves to explore the online world, often as a way of escaping a dystopian reality.

There’s a Time and a Place for This

There are most likely situations where the affordances (utility/uses) of the “metaverse” in L&D are exactly “spot on!”

Given the costs of creation and the hassle of getting there, it’s gotta have some payback (R in ROI) that makes it worthwhile compared to all other options. There’s gotta be more bang for the buck, as we in the USA might say, than our alternatives.

At least, if we’re trying to be Good Stewards of Shareholder Equity.

Perhaps where safety is an issue. Perhaps where scalability is an issue.

But IMO it’s gotta be more Effective, than the alternatives, and, more Efficient.

IMO it’s gotta be MO and MO E and E.

But It Could Be a Huge Distraction

I think this “metaverse” option is just one more, in a long line of shiny objects – that will, unfortunately, distract way too many L&D Practitioners and their Clients from more Value-Based (ROI, EVA, RONA, ROE – but only where ROE is Return on Equity and NOT Return on Expectations).

I can imagine that way too late some important stakeholder asks why this was done in the “metaverse” instead of in a PDF or via email. Bet me!

The Fine Art of Wasting Time Keeps Evolving

And the adoption/adaptation of our playtime toys and technology into L&D “keeps on truckin’, man.”

The “metaverse” is sure to continuously evolve – and perhaps someday we’ll be there as holograms of ourselves without headsets – with options to enhance our natural looks and translate our native languages into some seamless experience – for Learning purposes – as – what isn’t a learning experience nowadays?