﻿Day 4

Subject: It won’t be all plain sailing, [firstname]

Hi [firstname],

So far we’ve talked about the upsides of the metaverse and how it can make your life better, but there are some downsides you you need to be aware of.

The biggest one is a likely rise in cybercrime.  Think about it for a moment:  When you can be anyone, you can do anything to anybody! Fraud, money-laundering, sexual harassment, cyberbullying, the list goes on and on.  Whether “real” cops will be able to investigate, and who will have jurisdiction over the metaverse – which “real” country’s laws will apply and so on – is a massive gray area that has yet to be resolved. Locking up your avatar in a “virtual” jail might not be much of a deterrent if you can simply reinvent yourself anytime you want.

Then there is the negative cultural impact.  Many countries value their cultural identity and take it seriously.  For example in France they have a special department of the government, The Académie Francais (AF), that is France's official authority on the usages, vocabulary and grammar of the French language.  They work hard to stamp out instances of “frangalis” and invent new, French words for things that originate in other languages.  Forget accessing the metaverse on your laptop computer.  In France you’ll need an “ordinateur portable”.  If all avatars in the metaverse are expected to speak English with a California accent, the AF aren't going to like it much. 

Other cultural traditions may be surpassed by stuff people see and do on the metaverse - all those kids “flossing” is only the beginning.

The metaverse is also likely to be highly, highly addictive. We’re already seeing this now –  and you thought gaming and social media addiction was a problem!

Nevertheless, despite the negative connotations, it’s widely reckoned that the metaverse will be a force for good and that the advantages will outweigh the negative stuff; it just won’t be the sort of “utopia” some of its more vocal evangelists would like it to be.
Warmly,

[Your Name]

PS. Don’t forget your copy of my metaverse made simple guide.  It’s waiting for you here [link to sales page].


