How will the metaverse affect international politics?

How does the “Rich of the Ages” metaverse affect global politics?

The word “metaverse” gained popularity after Facebook, the social media giant, changed its name to Metaverse in late October and entered the metaverse. Now news on "Metauniverse Virtual Real Estate Market Lights Up at One Day Limit", "Metauniverse Virtual Real Estate Exchange Rate Has Doubled by Half", "Investment in the Metauniverse luxury experience of up to tens of thousands of dollars "etc. . As I continue to scan, the metauniverse has become obsolete at this time. Buamho.

Metaverse launched the Horizon Worlds virtual world platform on December 10, marking the first step in making the Metaverse a reality. As large corporations and tech companies began working to transform the concept of the metaverse into a viable business model, the Caribbean countries of Barbados announced on January 1, 2022 that the metaverse would release digital media on behalf of a sovereign country. In this regard, some experts pointed out that the change could affect “national security”. From all countries.

All of the characters created in the new meta edge platform, Horizon World, are only available physically, so they complain to players that they are "cheap."

Is online diplomacy available?

The Barbados Foreign Office agreed in August this year that it had signed an agreement with one of the world's largest digital platforms, Decentraland, to establish a subsidiary of the Metaverse platform, which will launch on January 1, 2022. It opens the door to national technology and cultural diplomacy. At the same time, the government of Barbados is examining the possibility of an agreement with other metaspatial platforms, such as Superworld and Somnium Space. Decentraland has a 3D digital world made up of 90,601 “lands”. In order to comply with the law, the government of Barbados has hired lawyers to ensure that the digital embassy complies with the provisions of the Vienna Convention on International Law and Diplomatic Relations.

Argentina's TN News TV reported that the character of Barbados is avant-garde and serves as an example to other countries that cannot be ignored. However, this is not the world's first embassy in the virtual world. In 2007, the Maldives established a diplomatic mission in the movie "Second Life". “Second Life” was very popular at the start of this century, and the fictional “digital universe” was also created. Since then, Serbia, North Macedonia, Malta, Israel, Sweden, the Philippines and Colombia have opened virtual embassies in Second Life.

However, whether it is the era of the 'second life' or the era of the metaverse, the opening of the digital embassy is one example and it is difficult to become a true national representative. Argentinian channel TN News TV investigated that "certain avant-garde gestures often increase the risk of missing content." Yuan Universe Embassy is simply a facade without supporting elements.

"Internet diplomacy doesn't work." Former White House director of international cooperation Brett Brun told Sky News that new technology is unlikely to change culture. He said that “Legal will follow the old method of communication,” he said, “The Twitter account or the Meta-Universal Embassy can be used as an add-on, but that will never change. The Embassy really does. ", did he declare. “Yes, you are online,” he said.

“So far, the Metaverse hasn't developed a well-known concept. In fact, it's still the most widely displayed on web interaction pages, and topics like virtual reality have been added.” Now that is almost impossible. Many countries consider it possible to apply for visas and other jobs. An agency in the meta-world is a reality, ”said Li Zheng, research expert for the American Institute of Modern International Relations, in an interview with a reporter. Opening an office in the meta-world is always on an emotional level and is hardly any different, even if you create a World Times account that says you are a media subscriber, build your own website, or build an app. on your phone.

Li Zheng added that in the future, when the metaverse technology and ecosystem becomes more mature, some countries will establish a virtual organization based on the metaverse, which can operate in existing offices. However, there is still a long way to go before the technology is integrated and this functionality is recognized worldwide by all.

Shenyang, a journalism and communication expert at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times reporter that there are significant differences between the Yuan Universe representative and the Embassy on social media like Twitter.First, times and places have changed., Twitter is a peaceful place, while in the meta world, it's an immersive embassy of three-dimensional scenes.The second is on social networks like Twitter., embassies are usually based on text and video interactions, but in the meta world, virtual characters get the job done.Third, in the future, the Meta-World Embassy will be part of the Meta-World Diplomatic System., may feel certain aspects of the economy, and may have implications for the relationship between the relations of sovereign countries can not be excluded.

"It's like a bunch of planets going to Mars."

In fact, politics around the meta-world is increasing day by day. The Seoul Metropolitan Government recently announced that it will establish a “Metauniverse Platform” for additional public services in Barbados. Seoul metauniverse.

In the future, national and local governments or civil society organizations will successively participate in the construction of the metaverse in several ways, and some experts believe that these new developments will bring a series of problems and challenges to international political policies.

"It is as if a group of planets are heading to Mars. At first they must have been dependent on supplies and resources from Earth. But when they became self-sufficient on Mars, the distance between them and the peoples of the world grew. gradually increased, the same process that led to the alienation and separation of the continent of North America from the Commonwealth.In the future, something similar will happen between governments and the creators of the meta-world platform.."

Shenyang believes that if online businesses could publish cryptocurrencies, some tech companies such as Facebook, Google and Apple would have more of a say in the global financial market, and that the balance of power between them and the federal government will change drastically. In the future, as robotic technology develops, it will be possible to supply large quantities of heavy machinery. In particular, in Western society, the emergence of large Internet companies involved in general elections will be more evident.

"The vision of the metaverse raises many questions for scholars of international relations." According to the Israeli blog Digital Diplomacy, for now, it is easy to distinguish the meaning of the state from the digital and physical levels. In the metaverse, this difference disappears. How will this affect the relationship between the state and the functioning of several systems? Why does Metaverse need international law and new censorship rules? What is the government's plan to prevent radicalization of the Metaverse?

At the same time, is digital crime occurring digitally, physically, or both? In other words, can government prevent mistakes in corporate relationships on an ongoing basis? Will the owner or creator of the Metaverse be the next global force? Will the countries that created the meta-world be Apple and the new Google? If so, how do you identify and balance their strengths?

In an interview with a World Times reporter, Li Zheng described the impact the Metaverse could have on international relations. Metaverse is an idea initially developed by some large tech companies in the United States, but it is only available in its infancy. Thus, his rights and authority remain with their children. Currently, these technology companies are required to comply with the rules and regulations set by all national governments in the areas of intellectual property, information and privacy. , and safety, and design and manufacture in accordance with these policies. Therefore, the development of the current global meta is still under real state control, and it is difficult to get out of state control in the short term.

Of course, in the process of creating or building a global meta, big tech companies will continue to develop mutually exclusive agreements, policies, and terms, but what do these future rules mean?

“The concept of meta-globalization is now strong in the West, and its applications and ideas because it is more in line with the laws and interests of Europe. But would this idea suit China? I would like to add. disagree or conflict and there will be international competition.

China should avoid “saying the wrong tech tree”.

The metaverse is still in the early stages of development, but looking at its "technical features" and "design" one can see that it has the potential to influence the national climate. Hong Kong's South China Morning Post said the risks associated with the metaverse include issues related to cybersecurity and "technological hegemony." Countries that are less successful economically can be penalized and face discrimination and demands when entering the meta-world of rulers. Countries should not have differences and inconsistencies in the metaverse heritage and trade sectors, and even if they try to achieve their own efforts, they will receive higher rates or increase support and encouragement for The other countries. Use of national standards in the process.

At the same time, the metaverse will have a profound impact on the political, economic and social relations of all countries. For example, it will become part of the national “political ideology” and culture of the country, and there will be a “gradual” change to the health and well-being of the country. These risks mean that improving the metaverse requires proper government oversight and guidance.

Shenyang told the "Global Times" reporter:Whether we call it the "meta-universe" or "the next generation Internet", significant changes will take place on Earth."First of all, people all over the world will have relationships on the Internet. From reflection to culture to beauty, it can be better. Global learning about gender, appearance, language Global economy of the virtual world will be accelerated by the emergence of five equal rights such as race, color, etc. When the wages of robots are low, once the wages of some countries are not developed, the way of the increase in many developed countries is a major obstacle, as well as investment and resilience.High-tech nations will benefit, and international standards will be the end, and big companies in many countries will have to make further adjustments. in their dealings with government. In recent years, it can be seen that the European and American views monitoring in this area has strengthened the impact, and the existing culture will have a significant impact. "

It has been suggested that tech companies may become important “representatives” in global politics for some time to come.In this regard, Li Zheng said that while the idea is the vision supported by international trade and Western neoliberalism in recent years, in fact, the policy of large Internet companies in China and the United States has been severely affected. He did not establish the political role of the democratic state.

Instead, they are not only monitored by the state, but also criticized by public opinion, and their national expansion will be subject to varying levels of "events" in the region. The "resilience" of "advanced technology" "caution" far exceeds the global impact of individual Internet companies.

As to how the Chinese government should solve the problem of raising the metaverse, Shenyang said that China is studying the tech technology of the metaverse first to avoid "saying the tech tree is wrong" in the process. . This can lead to a downturn in the entire industry. ; Second, there must be an independent but precise management of the climate of social thought to manage the key risks and to abandon the notion of "global risk". Because “zero risk” generally means “zero return”. By internationalizing to support Chinese high-tech companies, China and the United States will compete in the metaverse region in the future. Eventually, competition will also be a major commercial issue. If Chinese companies only hold Chinese business, and US companies hold more business outside of China, there will always be conflicts between China and the United States.

Singapore's English-language e-magazine "Think China" says Metaverse offers an opportunity to try to improve or replace all current global governance. As meta-space technologies mature, sovereign states and international organizations can also publish blockchain-based “decentralized autonomous organizations” (DAOs) and apply them in their applications. plays an important role in meta-space. meta-universe to create a new “autonomous UN”. Each national or international organization that is part of DAO has an equal vote to deal with digital threats and issues posed by the virtual world, such as network security. , regardless of the size or strength of the body, is not affected by electrical installations. , digital finance and digital inequalities.

Good practices of global governance in virtual world meta-zones should also be studied, exchanged and published in the real world, enabling countries to participate, collaborate and collaborate on global threats and issues, such as threats. regional. We are opening new chapters on human progress, such as conflict, climate change, food security and conflict.