Metaverse, Zuckerberg, and our Inevitable Move to a Digital Existence | Dr. Tim Gorichanaz #58

Are we holding this conversation in the Metaverse? No? Oh, okay then. This week we're going to be discussing dwelling in the Metaverse, Mark Zuckerberg's notion that it is inevitable, some philosophy by Martin Heidegger and Charles Taylor, and we talk about how we sense a bit of resignation to a tech future in which we have little say or agency. Our guest for this discussion is Dr. Tim Gorichanaz. Tim is a faculty member in the College of Computing & Informatics at Drexel University. He is interested in how technology is changing the human experience. He teaches courses in user experience and tech ethics and writes and conducts research on these topics, often from a philosophical perspective.

// EPISODE LINKS //
Dr. Gorichanaz' Article: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s43681-022-00198-w.pdf
Dr. Gorichanaz' website: https://timgorichanaz.com/

// WEBSITE //
Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE OUTLINE //
00:00 Teaser
00:44 Introduction
02:36 Start of conversation
02:54 What did you think of social platforms prior to your study?
04:45 Just a couple of guys reminiscing over MySpace. Nothing to see here.
05:29 What is Heidegger's Four-fold concept of dwelling?
9:57 The four-fold and Musk, Bezos, and Branson: the great space race
13:36 Are young people struggling with differentiating reality from digital representations?
16:22 What is social imaginary?
20:30 Can the metaverse provide a stronger sense of identity?
24:11 Why is civil discourse, say on such platforms as The Neutral Ground Podcast, important for building group identity?
27:59 Promoting group discussion in a tech class? That's awesome.
29:48 Is the problem with these platforms the technology, the commercialization, or the human element?
33:42 What kind of research did you do for this section on digital platforms?
34:43 How does Metaverse technology exacerbate misinformation and privacy problems?
38:09 Can you see an entire generation of people pushing back against technology in the future?
42:16 Let's talk about Mark Zuckerberg's 6 themes for the Metaverse
47:06 Which of the 6 is potentially the most detrimental to us, and which has the most potential to be positive for us?
50:34 What should people be thinking about when approaching metaverse technology?
53:28 My final thoughts

// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //
1. Why we crave narrative? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVqv1TIwLU4&t=129s

2. What we don't hear about incel culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdpuhqjLw&t=43s

3. Why not violence? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht-zwNaU&t=1010s

4. The need for the heroic narrative - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoCLHOpM03o&t=202s

5. Why are we fascinated with psychopaths? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQgL13gP9ZE&t=50s
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