[CNBC reports on how advertising will, or should, evolve for a metaverse that will give users a “feeling of presence”; the story describes a transition from the decades-old model in which messages mostly interrupt users’ experience to one in which brands “create experiences people actually want.” See the original story for two videos, and see Influencer Marketing Hub for “A Deep Dive into Metaverse Marketing.” –Matthew]

[Image: Source: Influencer Marketing Hub]

Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse, how will the world of advertisements look?

November 20, 2021
By Todd Wasserman

Imagine at a point in the near future, you are taking your daily trip through the metaverse when you encounter Colin Kaepernick. It’s not the flesh-and-blood Colin Kaepernick, but a digital avatar of the former NFL star. As you interact with Kaepernick, Nike, Kaepernick’s sponsor, becomes part of the experience. Whether you’re a Nike fan or not, his presence at least affirms the brand’s identity and story.… read more. “Inside the metaverse how will the world of advertisements look?”

[We so often focus on the visual and to a lesser extent the aural senses, but the author of this essay from The New York Times uses vivid and personal examples to remind us how important the sense of touch is to presence experiences. –Matthew]

[Image: Credit: Ariel Davis]

We’re Longing for the One Thing the Metaverse Can’t Give Us

By JoAnna Novak
November 26, 2021

When Mark Zuckerberg announced the rebranding of Facebook to Meta late last month in a “founder’s letter,” I was on a video call with my writing group, discussing the tactile joys of our craft — the benefits of writing by hand, our love of beautiful Rhodia writing pads, our favorite examples of manuscript pages (mine: David Foster Wallace’s, reeking of chew). Among the three of us, we owned five typewriters and no social media accounts.… read more. “We’re longing for the one thing the metaverse can’t give us”

[I strongly endorse the vision of the author of this interesting piece from The New Yorker for a practical and user-friendly technology that uses spatial presence to create a digital version of environments that enhance “immersive single-tasking” work (and I’d add creativity). As he notes five years after first exploring the topic, we’re not there yet but we’re getting closer. –Matthew]

[Image: Credit: Illustration by Ben Denzer; Source photographs in animated gif in the original story by Paul Denzer; Stephanie Denzer; Kathleen White; Lily Offit; Akshay Almelkar]

Can Virtual Reality Fix the Workplace?

The struggle to create a digital alternative to the analog office.

By Cal Newport
December 6, 2021

Not long ago, I decided to try to write an article in a virtual world. This was not the first time I had this idea. In the spring of 2016, a student in the computer-science department at Georgetown University set up an HTC Vive virtual-reality rig in a conference room and offered to give demonstrations.… read more. “Using VR and presence for “immersive single-tasking””

[A 2018 ISPR Presence News post described how the new Tokyo café DAWN (Diverse Avatar Working Network), was using OriHome robots to allow physically disabled staff to work from home, and a new story in Quartz reports that the café recently won a prestigious design prize. Now a local Japanese government is using the robots to help people with extreme social anxiety interact with others from home and hopefully venture out for future in-person social experiences, as reported in the story below from VICE. For more about the company that makes the robots, and its valuable use of medium-as-social-actor presence, see the OriLab website.  –Matthew]

[Image: Kobe City is first local Japanese government to offer robot services to people with extreme social withdrawal. Credit: Orylab Inc.]

Japan Has an ‘Alter Ego’ Robot So You Can Go Out Without Going Out

People with extreme social withdrawal can interact with others using their alter ego: a white, nine-inch tall robot.… read more. “Kobe City, Japan using ‘alter ego’ robot to help social recluses interact without going out”

[Check out the 2:49 minute video included in this story from VRScout (and also available via YouTube) to see how an XR developer has creatively used the passthrough capability of virtual reality to create a compelling mixed reality presence illusion. See the original story for two more images and another video. –Matthew]

Amazing VR App Turns Any Room Into A Mixed Reality Stargazing Lounge

This mixed reality stargazing experience for Quest opens the windows into outer space.

By Bobby Carlton
November 24, 2021

When Facebook—now Meta—introduced its Passthrough API Experimental earlier this year, it opened the doors for developers, allowing them to harness the power of the Quest’s Passthrough+ technology to create immersive mixed reality experiences that blend the real world with the virtual.

This includes Stargazing, a mind-blowing mixed reality experience that places retractable walls in different parts of your real-world space that slide open via simple voice commands, allowing you to gaze into the cosmos and explore different star systems from the comfort of your home.… read more. “Passthrough presence: Amazing VR app turns any room into a mixed reality stargazing lounge”