Today, it seems as if everything is politicized and the landscape won’t change too much. Any new technology, especially something as life-altering as the metaverse, is going to require some level of regulation and/or political intervention.
The inception of a complete and fully-functioning metaverse would alter the political landscape so completely that it’s likely you wouldn’t recognize many facets of it if you were transported forward in time from today.
Politics in the Metaverse
Candidates can connect with current supporters in the metaverse. This allows them not only an opportunity to push their message forward, but also bring in newcomers to their campaign.
If everyone spent the vast majority of their off-time or working days within the metaverse, then that would be the most logical target for politicians to aim for.
What Would Political Campaigns in the Metaverse Be Like?
Campaigns would certainly be different. Depending on how much the metaverse impacts people’s lives, campaigns would be run on platforms involving improvements and protection devices within the metaverse.
Campaign events and speeches could and probably would take place entirely within the metaverse. Politicians who did campaign rallies could offer free NFTs at the opening of the event.
Dr Scott Jensen releases world’s first political NFT in gubernatorial campaign
There’s no doubting that voting regulations and procedures would be points of contention concerning whether or not voting could be conducted in the metaverse or would strictly remain a real-world affair.
The greatest boon to politicians would be the fact that they would no longer have to fly around from spot to spot, canvassing districts where potential voter pools are more populous.
A single candidate could campaign in Michigan, New York, Florida, Texas, California, and Virginia all before lunchtime, with another ten-state lineup falling somewhere between lunch and supper. After campaigning in 25 states, a candidate could then relax and spend the evening with their family.
What Kind Of Politics would the Metaverse Generate?
There are several assumptions that you would have to make here and most of them would probably be reasonable. However, when it comes to politics, there are always two sides to the same coin.
- NFT regulation
- Cryptocurrency regulation
- Digital currency regulation
- Freedom in the metaverse
- Hacking
- Spending in the metaverse
- Taxation in the metaverse
NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) are supposed to be similar to cryptocurrency in that it is unique item that cannot be replicated or duplicated in any form. However, that’s not the same as saying that there can’t be a copy, just that there can only be one original.
There would have to be a degree of regulation on scammers selling fake NFTs. In fact, there would have to be a legal system and a criminal system that is completely dedicated to the metaverse, as real-world agencies couldn’t possibly stretch themselves that thin.
Cryptocurrency and digital currencies would probably have a degree of regulation—something that cryptocurrency isn’t exactly used to since there is no central banking authority that regulates the currency.
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However, in a hypothetical metaverse, the sheer volume of money moving in, out, and through the system would be too much for legislative bodies to leave alone. There’s too much potential for corruption, scams, and outright thievery.
Security Concerns and Deepfakes in the Metaverse
Hacking would be a big issue as well. Since the metaverse would be a fully realized, persistent, and all-encompassing world, people’s livelihoods would be irrevocably tied to it. We’re not talking about just regular hacking here either.
Low-level attacks on small pockets of infrastructure could be handled by a metaverse version of law enforcement. But you’d better believe that enemy states would constantly spend time, money, and resources trying to compromise one another.
That means that just like we have agencies that serve as a national defense apparatus in the real world, would have to be instituted in the metaverse as well.
Spending and taxation would also be something that would fall under the umbrella of taxation. As aforementioned, there will likely be billions, if not trillions, of dollars flowing through the metaverse. States and the federal government would have to figure out how such a system would operate.
All Things Political Considered
When people consider the metaverse, it’s always from the perspective of software and entertainment. However, from a logical perspective, there is a lot more that is going to have to go into such a massive endeavor.
For many reasons, political powers would have to be invested in such a system, and, as far as the United States is concerned, that would include all three branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial.
