Metaverse

Human-Machine Interactions of the Future: Unpopular Opinions [Part 1]

I’m responsible for looking at the future of human-machine interaction — from the future of trust and higher education to the future of quantum internet and IoT. And when looking at, and projecting out likely futures, there is no lack of differing perspectives, conflicting information, and challenges to the groupthink driving our companies and cultures in certain directions.

I recently listened to the Money in the Metaverse episode of Azeem Azhar’s Exponential View podcast, which addresses blockchain, cryptocurrency, and the Metaverse. The podcast’s two speakers, Azhar and Citi’s Rohit Ghose, discussed a couple of perspectives that I’ve also expressed and advocated for within my circle – opinions that have been considered unpopular.

In this series, I’d like to share my perspectives and opinions on Web3, the Metaverse, and the future of human-machine interaction. Perhaps together, we can challenge and grow and ultimately all end up better prepared for the Internet that will develop in the next decade.

I’m unintimidated in holding well-informed but counter-cultural opinions about certain things concerning the future of human-machine interaction. About the Metaverse. About Web3 and NFTs. About the Future of the Internet (and how we will interact with it). After all, the only weakness in holding an unpopular opinion is the unwillingness to change if new information invalidates it. I’m always willing to change my perspective with new information.

Defining terms for the future of human-machine interactions

A natural part of my role and responsibility has revolved around the Metaverse, which we’ve been actively engaged in exploring and building the infrastructure for over the past several years. For many, the Metaverse is a mysterious concept that brings to mind virtual reality gaming and blocky Roblox avatars. Some identify Second Life as the original Metaverse, with a robust GDP worth a shocking $500MM.

It makes sense for me to share a few definitions here to set the stage for the next installments in this blog series on human-machine interactions in the future.

What is the Metaverse?

Definitions of the Metaverse vary, but these are some of my favorite interpretations:

“The metaverse is the moment in time where our digital life is worth more to us than our physical life.”

— Shaan Puri, former Twitch Manager

“The ‘Metaverse Continuum…’ is a spectrum of digitally enhanced worlds, realities, andbusiness models poised to revolutionize life and enterprise in the next decade.”

— Accenture


“First coined in Neal Stephenson’s 1992 Sci-Fi novel Snowcrash, I see the Metaverse as the gradual convergence of the digital world with the physical world.
A world where we no longer notice a distinction between our digital avatars and our physical selves. A world where smart lenses and BCI devices enable us to be surrounded by information – interactive information for work, entertainment, education, and more. This is the next iteration of the internet.
And as dystopian it may sound, this is the next iteration of life.”

— Ryan Gill, Cofounder & CEO of Crucible

“Metaverse” isn’t the only term cited when discussing this new paradigm. Omniverse and Multiverse are others bandied about, and those concepts touch on a critical factor in defining the embodied internet. And there is also some debate about how the Metaverse will interact with the concept of Web3.

What is Web3?

Since Web3 is another buzzy term, I’ll also share my definition of Web3, which some people see as the next version of the Internet. However, a Web3 experience is different than our web experience today (Web2) in a few ways:

How Web3 differs from Web2, today’s web experience:

  • Instead of living on centralized servers, Web3 is hosted on a decentralized platform outside the control of large tech companies, making it a more neutral, democratic place.
  • Instead of content being created largely by companies, Web3 is creator-driven and collaborative, leveraging cryptocurrency as payment for creations and assets designed by anyone creative, sometimes minted as NFTs.
  • Instead of a place where Big Tech can collect user data, Web3 is a place where data is publicly verifiable. Users can see what happens with their data through the transparent ledgers innate on the blockchain, controlling and protecting personal data from being unethically used or abused.
  • Web3 is secure, allowing people to log in using blockchain-based authentication (such as “SIWE” & “EIP-4361”) and blockchain-based identity (such as “ENS”) instead of using human-generated passwords, or centralized password managers, which can be stolen from hacked sites.

The Web3 concept has been lauded by cryptocurrency investors, innovators, startups, and venture capitalists investing heavily in decentralization. Now that we’ve defined the Metaverse and Web3, we can move on to the six unpopular opinions I will share. Stay tuned for the next blog in this series!

Human-Machine Interactions of the Future: Unpopular Opinions [ Part 1 ] [ Part 2 ] [ Part 3 ]

Digital Agency

What is content marketing and search engine optimization?

The popularity of “content marketing” makes it seem as if a new cure-all strategy was found to engage customers, increase brand awareness, and acquire leads. The reality is that influential companies have been using content marketing for over 100 years.

In fact, manufacturer of agricultural machinery John Deere was building trust with their audience back in 1895 when it started publishing The Furrow magazine; still in circulation.

Customers are asking: “Why should I visit that Web site?”

Our editors at SocialShelfspace.com understand that valuable content is the precise way to engage prospects and customers. If your content is not relevant to your intended audience and doesn’t have a clear call to action, your effort is wasted and will have no purpose in your marketing plan.

Quality content in your brand’s voice is extremely important and should be at the top of your marketing strategy. And by content, we are not only referring to articles on your website but also relevant photos, videos, infographics, and podcasts. Don’t forget social media platforms and communities like Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Reddit, even TikTok.

Take a look at our spatial analytics and social interactions demo to understand where and why conversations take place. Our consumer intent models and analytics help clients determine where and how to create shareable content to reach an even larger targeted audience.

What is the content that customers and prospects want to read and share?

Content Marketing

With over two decades of content creation experience, our team has developed proprietary technology to help our clients understand what their audience is searching for, as well as show where competitors are ranking on the search and social shelf space. Yes, that is where the name of our company comes from!

Our four-step ICBM process delivers maximum returns to our clients:

  1. Identify the keywords and channels that will dominate their organic ranking and traffic.
  2. Confirm the search landscape for their products and services and create effective content.
  3. Build market share and improve sentiment by focusing on the customer experience.
  4. Measure your key results monthly, help you optimize and repeat.

Let us help you deliver results to your organization. Contact us for a free demo of our methodology and learn how our 20 years of search marketing experience working directly with Google, Yahoo, and other search engines since 1998 can help you capitalize on the evolution of search engines, smart devices, and voice search.

Digital Agency

Spatial Analytics & Social Interactions

Social Interactions

Here is a small preview of how spatial analysis and search optimization can help your company.

We started with keyword research and intent modeling for both the client and other websites in the same industry. 

With spatial data, we created the map below where you can zoom in and find where and why conversations took place. You can embed location intelligence in Web apps to improve the user experience and see the effectiveness of your campaigns.

With this information, our client was able to create new content for their website and social channels. Location intelligence and search optimization was their secret weapon.

Central California Dataset
Available layers: Clusters, Intensity, Posts, and Time-lapse.

  • Click on a post to see the interaction source.
  • Click the URL and see the actual interaction from Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, or Instagram.