Meta Store Opening

On May 9, 2022, Meta opened a retail store in Burlingame, California. At first glance, most products look like updated copies of Google Glass and the Nintendo Wii--until you realize software, not hardware, is modern technology's sine qua non.

Walking the small store reminded me of Microsoft's brick-and-mortar strategy. Microsoft tried using its Xbox and other hardware to compete with Apple Corporation, but the once-invincible company kept floundering as Apple's iPhone gained users within a "closed" ecosystem. When I handled a Surface tablet for the first time, I smirked because it appeared similar to Apple's iPad, but with a less intuitive interface. Though more familiar with different platforms now, I still needed a full hour before finally realizing the potential of Meta's products. 

First, we should discuss why American tech companies have succeeded while Canada's Blackberry, Finland's Nokia, Russia's Yandex, and others have failed to sustain a global audience. Though most people know the internet itself was once a DARPA project, they do not seem to realize all currently successful American technology was and/or is supported by military spending. No organization requires as much data and security as the United States military and its allied intelligence agencies and defense contractors, all of which are inherently global and therefore perfect collaborators in a quest to create a default technological standard. German or Japanese residents familiar with post-WWII information transfers appreciate the benefits of American technological influence; however, as the world shifted from analog to digital, societal gains became much more questionable, especially relative to spending. To recapture the progress of the past, tech companies have gone "back to the future," focusing on hardware that incorporates advanced digital features. Results, unfortunately, have been mixed as modern military spending emphasizes surveillance and autonomous functions rather than tangible human-machine interactions. (e.g., Post-WWII domestic engineering might have involved building sturdy bridges and dams; Facebook Portal TV's facial scanning lock automatically follows you around as you walk and videoconference.) Despite inconsistency, all successful American technology offers a gateway into something intangible in order to offer users an American-based system of algorithms, plus civil laws around such algorithms.

So Microsoft's Xbox isn't really a gaming system--it's an all-purpose communication platform designed to capture non-Windows users. Apple Corporation doesn't make mobile phones--it creates tracking systems in which third-party developers can serve loyal users. Google isn't a search company--it's a massive data and analytics pipeline. Tesla handles shipping, tracking and intelligence using satellites--its EVs are taxpayer-subsidized battery containers. Intuit isn't a tax preparation company--it's a secure data storage and transmission service. 

Before you judge technology companies, consider your iconic analog companies, almost all of which support the U.S. dollar through international supply chain management. Coca-Cola mastered water and land-based global supply chains, not soda. Disney invents feel-good cultural exchanges, the velvet rose that makes American guns less threatening. And Meta? It sells targeted propaganda, surveillance, and intelligence, not social media. 

From LinkedIn profile of Tyler,
Meta's Device Communications manager

Such influence may explain why broadcast media is heavily regulated while Facebook, TikTok, Snap, Pinterest, and others have no FCC equivalent, as long as their data collection practices and servers are under U.S. jurisdiction. Despite the potential for abuse, every empire needs propaganda, and every empire knows the larger the gap between propaganda and reality, the closer revolution or secession. Meta, Instagram, and WhatsApp may be influential, but unlike politicians, they have delete buttons. Consequently, whether Meta, Amazon, Square, or Google's hardware succeeds depends on the virtual worlds they create for you, and your faith in their ability to make your life better. Luckily, hardware's physical limitations, combined with consumer choice, force Meta to think harder about the kinds of worlds it wants to create, and the impact such worlds will have on users of all ages. 

As I tried envisioning AR/VR life, I scrolled through topics on a tall monitor. The first one, an advertisement for a horror funhouse experience, confirmed fears of mindless entertainment. Fitness was next, and it didn't improve my opinion much. Athletes moving to music and games is a common fad, and if Peloton's bikes are under-performing, virtual exercise seems a questionable endeavor in any warm climate. Not expecting much, I selected "Travel," and the screen displayed crystal-clear, real-life videos from tourist sites. I immediately imagined millions of Rashomon-style movies by aspiring Anthony Bourdains in every country, and then understood Facebook's name change. The metaverse, at full potential, is nothing less than the entire world lived through pieces of portable hardware, preferably from Meta. If enough users upload content from Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses, and if competent coders manage searchable categories, then Meta could give you the entire world through its Quest 2 headset. Not just the world today, but a world where students and travelers could enter every hamlet and metropolis and see places and people difficult or impossible to visit in one lifetime. The current world wouldn't be your only timeline--you could re-create historical sites and walk through them as if you were royalty. The Getty Museum already has one such virtual reality experience for Persepolis, and perhaps a time will come when no tourist can say archaeological ruins look like disorganized remnants of ordinary rocks. The world in a box--the past, present, and with the right AI, the future too. 

In the end, criticizing Facebook, er, Meta, is easy, especially if you see the company as more time waster than speech democratizer. Yet, in a post-Snowden world where Guantanamo Bay remains open, Americans must know their lawyers and judges have failed, placing their republican governance model at risk. Given the amount of data tech companies host, what rises from the ashes will surely involve Meta and related companies, none of which are eager to relinquish their power merely because a distant Congress deems them disruptors at best, enemies at worst. Moving forward, it appears Americans are destined to live in an interesting age. Are you ready, Player One? 

© Matthew Mehdi Rafat (2022) 

Note: I briefly tried the Quest 2 headset, and even though I saw only an infinity sign, I experienced motion sickness. It takes time for non-gamer brains to adjust to immersive AR/VR, and I was advised to remove the headset when feeling disoriented.