Publications
- Foundation Metaverse Europe Position Paper on Metaverse and Democracy Shaping by Prof. Dr. Matthias Quent (Original in German, automatically translated version)When Marc chose the term Metaverse to proclaim the next stage of an even more immersive Internet, he was also – willingly and consciously or not – putting a warning into the world about the end of democracy: The word “metaverse” was first popularized in the 1991 science fiction novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephanson. The novel is set in … Read more
- Update on the core topic “Web3, Crypto and Digital Ownership” by Lennart Blödorn. (Original in German, automatically translated version)Few areas have undergone such rapid development in recent years as the world of Web3, crypto and digital ownership. The news really came thick and fast, and even industry experts had difficulty keeping up with the developments. After public interest waned at the end of last year and the world of Web3 was overshadowed not least by events such as … Read more
- Foundation Metaverse Europe Position Paper on Positive Futures from the Metaverse by Dr. Isabella Hermann (Original in German, automatically translated version)Positive Narratives for a democratic Metaverse Narratives are established stories and tales that have meaning for a cultural group because they transmit certain emotions and values. Narratives shape our thoughts and actions. Science fiction conveys narratives that connect the present with possible futures. The genre does not provide an instruction manual for the future, but stories that take place in … Read more
- Foundation Metaverse Europe Position Paper on Metaverse and European Sovereignty by Dr. phil. Martin C. Wolff (Original in German, automatically translated version)The core competence of a Digital Sovereignty There is a moral obligation to use artificial intelligence. If these technologies make our daily lives easier, reduce suffering and increase happiness, and help us facilitate and improve institutional missions in the church, schools, government and wherever else, then we need to use them. Their use requires competence. There is no alternative to … Read more
- Foundation Metaverse Europe Position Paper on Identity Protection by Louis Rosenberg, PhDThe Metaverse and Conversational AI as a Threat Vector for Targeted Influence Abstract Over the last 18 months, two human-computer interaction (HCI) technologies have rapidly come to mainstream markets, funded by massive investments from major corporations. The first area of advancement has been virtual and augmented worlds, now commonly called “The Metaverse.” The second area of advancement has been the … Read more
- Foundation Metaverse Europe Position Paper on Metaverse and Mental Self-Regulation by Prof. Dr. Thomas Metzinger (Original in German, automatically translated version)Altered states of consciousness in technological change to the coming metaverse A main problem for a contemporary culture of awareness is the new “attention extraction economy”. Powered by self-learning AI and advanced, self-improving algorithms, it extracts attention from human brains and turns it into money. Today, information and entertainment are available almost everywhere for free. Attention, on the other hand, … Read more
- Foundation Metaverse Europe Position Paper on Metaverse and Web3 by Lennart Blödorn (Original in German, automatically translated version)What is Web3? If one considers the metaverse as a virtual communication space that maps a new or existing reality, then the web3 can be understood as a part of its infrastructure. However, the web3 is not simply the same as the metaverse. Both the web3 and different metaverse can function independently. By connecting to the blockchain and the token … Read more
- Our study “Democratic Values as Understood in Europe in the Metaverse”.
This study was prepared by our Foundation Metaverse Europe in collaboration with Stiftung Zukunft. This exploratory study explores challenges and opportunities for democracy in the metaverse and presents areas for deeper work. Accordingly, democracy could be threatened in the future by the implementation of the vision of a centralized, private-sector metaverse in the three areas of fundamental rights, the public … Read more
