Beyond the Screen: The Metaverse as Seen Through an Eastern Lens

For over two decades, we watched the internet move from PCs to mobile phones, bringing constant technological leaps. Just recently, we discussed the Fourth Industrial Revolution; now, the buzz surrounds ESG Management and, most dominantly, the Metaverse.

Is the Metaverse truly a world-changing technology, or is it simply a new evolution of an old idea? Let's explore this virtual frontier, not with complex coding, but with a grounded, balanced Eastern perspective.

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1. 🌐 The Metaverse: More Than Just a Game

We often misunderstand the Metaverse as just another gaming platform. However, the Metaverse is much larger. It is a space where the real world and the virtual world coexist. Your activity in this virtual space represents an extension of your physical self.

• Beyond the Virtual Home: This is far more advanced than early virtual platforms like Cyworld or modern SNS. It moves beyond simply having a virtual home. You create an Avatar, a digital being that acts in your place within a non-physical space.

• The Digital Self: While the movie The Island explored cloning (a physical duplicate), the Metaverse introduces a digital agent—the Avatar. Your real self and your virtual self coexist. You operate and delegate tasks to this digital entity. Your Avatar is effectively your proxy human.

  
  
  

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2. 💡 The Ancient Idea of the Digital World

The concept of a virtual world is not entirely new, even when viewed through historical Asian thinking.

• The Chain of Existence: Ancient Eastern thought often views the universe as a continuous, ever-evolving chain of life and events. We can see the rise of the internet, and now the Metaverse, as a new link in this long chain of human expression and connectivity.

• Ways to Influence: People always seek ways to express themselves and exert influence without showing their physical identity. Whether through a written message (Chulcheomukeo - expressing intent without direct appearance) or an indirect influence, the impact matters more than the physical presence. The Avatar is simply a new, powerful medium for this age-old desire.

3. 🌊 Technology as a Spilling Vessel

We now live in a world where technology changes faster than we can manage it. We see this with the Metaverse.

• Uncontrollable Surge: We can view this rapid emergence of technology as a cup filling up and overflowing. The innovations appear so quickly that we cannot contain or fully define them.

• Internet's Core Nature: The Internet, by its nature, has always been a virtual, non-physical space. We operate within it as individual entities. The Metaverse is simply a more immersive, multi-dimensional layer built on this original virtual foundation.

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4. 🔮 Coexistence, Not Revolution: A Balanced View

Despite the massive hype and investment, a balanced view suggests the Metaverse will not overturn society but rather supplement it.

• A Complementary Tool: The Metaverse is not a groundbreaking technology that will destroy the existing world. Instead, it will play a role as a complement or enhancement to current human and business activities.

• Part of the Flow: We must see this technology as an extension of previous innovations (like mobile internet or SNS), not a completely new paradigm shift. It is a phase in the ongoing evolution of communication and connectivity.

• Avoid Overreaction: We do not need excessive excitement over the Metaverse. Like many technologies that came before it, the hype will eventually stabilize. We should treat it as a significant, but ultimately temporary, technological phase in the continuous flow of digital life.