​The Implementation of the “Metaverse” in Brazil

Facebook is no longer just a social network; it was recently renamed, Meta. This change
marked the union of different social media applications (such as Instagram and WhatsApp) in its brand.
However, the most astonishing part of this strategy is the so-called “Metaverse,” a hybrid combination
of online social experiences sometimes expanded in three dimensions (using virtual and augmented
reality) or projected into the physical world. The company argues that people will go through
immersive experiences, without the people being physically present. It is in fact a revolutionary
proposal.
To “Agencia Brasil”, Facebook has informed that the technology is still being further developed
and has not stated when the resources necessary for the Metaverse will be available in the country.
According to the company, they still aim to improve the quality of virtual reality, as it still requires
robust connections to enable the loading of video data and quick responses to the actions performed
by the individual in a virtual space. With the arrival of 5G in Brazil, this will be completely plausible. In
Brazil, the auction for 5G was held this month, and the technology will begin to be implemented next
year.
The director of Recife Law and Technology Research Institute, Andre Lucas Fernandes,
believes that the Metaverse will take economic and social activities to a more abstract scenario,
consequently causing challenges to democracies problems in a legal point of view. He states that “If
we think in terms of infrastructure and internet access, there is an urgent digital abyss issue, and the
metaverse can be a catalyzing factor for the exclusion of people who are not connected, as it will
demand sophisticated and more expensive equipment".
Therefore, although the ideas proposed by Meta of creating a virtual world where people
would be able to communicate, work, socialize and entertain themselves seem very promising and
exciting, there are some problems that must be considered. Even though Brazil will soon have access
to 5G, it is important to note that it is a country marked by social inequality, which may cause problems
regarding the Metaverse. For an individual to immerse themselves into this world, they require
expensive equipment, something which the majority of the Brazilian population cannot afford.

Written by: Henrique Sampaio
Edited by: Anna Kissajikian