Chapter 6 of my 2016 book Tecnologia vs. Humanidade it seems to be more relevant than ever, given the recent Facebook and Metaverse discussions. Now you can download it as audiobook-chapter for free, in multiple languages – links are at the bottom of this post.

‘As we rave through the all-night honeymoon party that is tech, it’s salutary to think about the price to be paid tomorrow, and forever.‘ Chapter 6 intro of ‘Technology vs Humanity' book

5 years after my book Tecnologia vs Humanidade was released it seems like there will be no escaping “o Metaverso“. Read this on Forbes: “Like It Or Not, The Metaverse May Be The Next Big Thing For Events And Conferences” (…) “While the immersive metaverse of science fiction movies isn’t quite here yet, Facebook (Meta) believes they will have something close to it in the next five years.”

You can read my view on the Metaverse and virtual reality in this recent post where I talk about the great reduction.

“With the rise of AR, this last bastion of reliable reality could completely disappear. And when that happens, it will only exacerbate the social divisions that threaten us.”

Read: Augmented reality inventor warns the Metaverse could be far worse than social media via BigThink

In many ways one could argue technology is like religion or a drug, or both… In some reasonable doses, it might be agreeable, tolerable or even positive, but as with addictions such as drinking and smoking, too much of it will ruin your life. The same is true for exponential technologies such as VR, MR and AI: without new rules, better (wiser!!) regulamentação and new social contracts we may find ourselves in a perpetual state of dependence and confusion sooner rather than later.

Have a look at this video series, launched in the beginning of 2021: ‘What to expect for 2021' (I will have a 2022 update shortly, as well)

How could social media become ‘human' again? How can we stop the disinformation, dehumanization and dataism that has resulted from social media's algorithmic obsessions? Below is one of my best keynotes on the Future of Social Media.

In Chapter 6 of my book “Tecnologia vs Humanidade” one of the things I talk about is ‘the magic explosion':

Quando aquilo a que gosto de chamar o quociente mágico for aumentado exponencialmente, estes problemas até agora latentes no que respeita ao abuso ou à má utilização de uma dada tecnologia tornar-se-ão novamente ampliados - talvez exponencialmente -, gradualmente e depois subitamente. Embora continue otimista quanto à nossa capacidade colectiva de canalizar o poder das tecnologias exponenciais, também me preocupa o facto de, em quase todos os casos de mudança exponencial e combinatória, existir um risco real de passarmos de mágicos a maníacos e a tóxicos num espaço de tempo muito curto.

Now you can listen to, and download this chapter as an MP3, in the 3 different languages, see below.

Se gostar, considere a possibilidade de comprar o ebook ou o audiobook através da Payhip (ENG, ES, PT e FR). ou através de Scribdou, claro, em AMAZON:). Também pode deixar um comentário na página do livro no Good Reads.

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