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On the 15th of October our book “Real Fake – Playing with Reality in the Age of AI, Deepfakes and the Metaverse” has been released. It is our take on synthetic media, deepfakes, fake news, conspiracy theories, memes, internet culture, Generation Z and Alpha, crypto, narrative economics, virtual humans, CGI influencers, vTubers, NFTs, DAOs, VR, Web3, the Creator Economy and the Metaverse. Real Fake is about how humans continuously manipulate reality and how new digital technology tools enable us to go one step further in this ancient game.
Niche Nets: The Rise of Micro Communities
- Community is fast becoming the strongest competitive advantage a brand can attain.
- People are getting millions of views on their first TikTok video, which has important consequences: the dissolution of social from media, and the rise of smaller, less ad-dominated networks that put the emphasis back on people.
- Trust is becoming increasingly fragile, decentralized and community-driven.
What Is Reality Privilege?
“The danger of talking about “reality privilege” is that it positions the metaverse as a viable alternative to IRL experience, and shuts down anyone who tries to question this. The real world and the created world of the metaverse will inevitably blur further, but one is unlikely to completely subsume the other Matrix-style. “We need to become more mindful, reflect more, become more mature in navigating between these realities,” says Thijs Pepping. Rather than thinking of the metaverse as an escape from reality, we could use the things online worlds can teach us – abundance, flexibility, generosity – to help us learn how to improve the physical world we live in now.”
The Future of Fortnite
“Epic Games has said that Fortnite Creative 2.0, a version of Creative with expanded tools from Unreal Engine 5, is coming sometime this year. It should let creators bring their own code into their maps, giving them far more freedom. It could lead to Creative becoming as deep of a game design tool as Unreal Engine, with a far gentler learning curve.”
Roblox Is Ready To Grow Up
Roblox is trying to grow up. The all-ages, user-generated gaming platform is announcing plans today to add age guidelines to its games and significantly expand its advertising business as it works to court an older demographic, expand its revenue streams, and still support the needs of its millions of young players. “The new ads system is a way for brands to advertise across Roblox through interactive billboards, posters, & other surfaces. […] Brands will also be able to have “portals” that act like a tunnel between games, taking players to a new branded area in Roblox like a shoe store or a coffee shop.”
Fans Are The New Creators
“One of the most significant trends in web3 is the re-imagining of fandom: the blurring of lines between fan and creator, between canon and “fanon,” and how fan labor is funded and rewarded.
This trend is best encapsulated by two major shifts:
- The divide between fans and creators is disappearing. Fans are exerting significant influence or even co-creating the original work (casting into question what “original” even means)
- Fans are employing new business models & funding sources to create derivative projects, where previously these had been nonexistent
The end result is an expansion of what creativity on the internet can look like, with greater access, financial upside, collaboration, and fulfillment.”
MUST READ: New Realities Into the Metaverse and Beyond
Nice update to the Metaverse report that Wunderman Thompson had published last year. You can download the report here.
MUST WATCH: Text To Video
MUST WATCH: AI Images and John Oliver
Contact
Real Fake is a weekly newsletter in which SogetiLabs’s Research Institute VINT examines the future where synthetic reality becomes part or our objective reality. We investigate the impact of new technology on people, organisations and our society. If you have any questions or comments, do not hesitate to contact us. You can reach us at vint@sogeti.com.
