Moral issues have started showing up on the Metaverse already, and the newly-coined Meta network has more problems coming its way. A 43-year-old British woman claims she was groped in the virtual world by a group of male avatars. The woman named Nina Jane Patel has even penned down her ordeal in a Medium post, where she has talked about being “verbally and sexually harassed" by three or four male avatars in Horizon Venues of Meta.
“It was surreal. It was a nightmare", is what Nina wrote in the post. She has even talked about the male avatars touching her character’s body inappropriately, and took screenshots for several minutes.
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All these instances prompted Nina to sign out from the virtual metaverse immediately. She told The Mail that she had to take off the virtual reality (VR) headset to end the nightmare.
Nina’s post also touches upon some crucial aspects about the metaverse created by Mark Zuckerberg and Co. She wants people to understand that beneath all the character play and surreal experience, there is a certain ‘realness’ to the environment. But if women are going to face harassment in the metaverse or any virtual world for that matter, then the issues are largely symptomatic of the people living in both worlds.
Responding to Nina’s story, Meta spokesperson quoted by Business Insider said, ‘We’re sorry to hear this happened. We want everyone in Horizon Venues to have a positive experience, and easily find the safety tools that can help in a situation like this – and help us investigate and take action."
It seems like a case of deja vu with the Nina episode, and we are hoping Meta gets to the depth of the case and prosecute the culprits to set the right example for its future in the metaverse.
Facebook Loses $200 Billion Market Value
Talking about Metaverse, Facebook owner Meta Platforms shares plunged 20% late as the social media company missed on Wall Street earnings estimates and posted a weaker-than-expected forecast. The after-hours slump in Meta shares vaporized $200 billion worth of its market value, with another $15 billion in value lost from peers Twitter Inc, Snap Inc and Pinterest Inc.
Accoridng to a report by Reuters, net loss from Meta’s Reality Labs, the company’s augmented and virtual reality business, was $10.2 billion for the full year 2021, compared with a $6.6 billion loss the previous year. It was the first time the company had broken out this segment in its results.
“Meta said it faced hits from Apple Inc’s privacy changes to its operating system, which have made it harder for brands to target and measure their ads on Facebook and Instagram, and from macroeconomic issues like supply-chain disruptions," as per the report.
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