Is Thailand Ready for the Metaverse?

[buksida]

The next digital revolution carries great promise for the country and its people, but also great peril.
The concept of the “metaverse,” broadly defined as the use of advanced technology to create a boundless virtual reality, is nothing new, but has recently attracted worldwide attention. Following Facebook’s ambitious announcement that it would change its name to “Meta” and build its own “metaverse,” tech and entertainment firms around the world have jumped on the metaverse bandwagon. Although the metaverse is still in its infancy, it will grow overnight as a result of the race for technological supremacy. This then raises a simple yet intriguing question: Are nation states ready for this next digital revolution?

...

At the national level, Thailand’s acknowledgement of the metaverse is highlighted in the recent creation of a Thai term for “metaverse” – the word literally translates as “newly constructed universe” – by the Royal Society, which has long been a government agency in charge of monitoring the country’s official language use.

Despite these promising signs, Thailand still has a long way to go. Both the public and private organizations in Thailand remain highly vulnerable to cyberattacks.

...

Against the backdrop of growing intolerance and political contestation, as well as youth resistance, the Thai government’s rigid online monitoring is widely seen as a covert attempt to silence opposition.

...

All sides – the state, opposition factions, reformists, and extremist groups – will capitalize the new platform for their own gains which could seriously disrupt the social order. Anticipating this challenge, the conservative Thai government will toughen online monitoring efforts which, in turn, will provoke tech-savvy youth who prioritize privacy and freedom of expression. Consequently, this could push Thailand towards an ever more Orwellian future dominated by mass surveillance.

...

Beyond cybersecurity, there are already large disparities in access to the internet and digital infrastructures between Bangkok and the rest of the country. And, with the new business merger between two of Thailand’s big three telecoms operators ​​Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group’s True and Norwegian Telenor Group’s DTAC, the public has become increasingly concerned about harmful monopolies. The metaverse could exacerbate these problems and leave many people further behind.

The metaverse offers many exciting new opportunities. However, at this point in time, the Thai state appears unequipped to deal with its dark disruptions. To better prepare for the unavoidable metaverse future, it is imperative for Thailand to address lingering structural issues such as technology inequality and loopholes in cyber laws. This will not be an easy task.

https://thediplomat.com/2021/12/is-thai ... metaverse/

The short answer to the headline is ... no.

[handdrummer]

Thailand can't even design a useable app.

[STEVE G]

My only knowledge of a Metaverse is from the post above but from reading that I'm left wondering why a "boundless virtual reality" would even need nation states.

[Lost]

The Metaverse will just be another place for me to be a pauper. While everyone else will be wearing expensive digital clothes and accessories, zooming flying cars about while showing off their bought digital superpowers...

My avatar will be forever stuck on default settings. Can't wait to be poor in the virtual world, too.

[Bamboo Grove]

The educational advantages of this will be great if used correctly. Agree with Steve

why a "boundless virtual reality" would even need nation states.

But then again, I'm not a fan of them anyway.

[buksida]

If Facebook controls it, it will be a living nightmare - you'll be bombarded with scams, spam, and fake news at every turn while the system feeds off your movements and habits in order to bombard you with more scams, spam, and fake news.

Fortunately, there are several decentralized metaverses in development that could be very interesting when they come into fruition.

[nil]

Welcome to the ‘untact’ society

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/ ... plnews_d-1

[handdrummer]

Welcome to the ‘untact’ society

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/ ... plnews_d-1

Life imitates art. We are being prepared to live in a sci-fi world.

It's like governments read all the sci-fi books and watched all the sci-fi movies and thought that would be a great idea as a means of population control.

I'm glad I won't be around to experience the results and I feel sorry for my grandchildren who will have to deal with it.

And remember, just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean that someone isn't out to get you.

The pandemic is a good exercise for the implementation of population control.