Imagine what the world would be like if 17 years ago the Third sector had intervened just as Facebook was taking off. Instead of becoming an unregulated morass of misinformation, discord, and dissent, it could have fulfilled its promise as a global community where democratic ideals and civic discourse flourish.

Now the Third sector have a second chance. With the recent announcement of Facebook that it is diving into Metaverse, including changing his father's name to Meta, donors have the opportunity to do it right this time.

This must begin with understanding what the Metaverse and why it has the potential to create a more just and equitable world – or its dystopian opposite. Science fiction writer Neal Stephenson coined the term in your romance Snow Crash, by 1992, to convey a reality where people create avatars of themselves to explore virtual worlds. The vision of Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and other technology leaders is much the same – instead of clicking on links to get information on the internet, people sent their avatars on virtual explorations.

Why does this matter for the Third sector?

Because creating a Metaverse fair and democratic will require a multifaceted approach to Civil society, academia and government. O Third sector will play a central role, including bringing together experts to develop sound practices, educating grantees and donors, advocating regulatory policies, and defining the Metaverse in a path that will benefit future generations.

To help donors take their first steps into Metaverse, here are the important next steps. If approached thoughtfully and strategically, each has the potential to elevate the Metaverse as a place where diverse voices are heard, problems are resolved with empathy and understanding, and democracy thrives.

Develop principles and practices to guide civic discourse.

Facebook has lost its footing largely because of misguided, misaligned, or simply absent standards. On the other hand, a Metaverse equipped with democratic rules and principles would create unique opportunities for civic discourse and Resolution of problems. Imagine, for example, public forums where city residents can virtually walk through the public spaces being developed in their communities and offer suggestions and suggestions in real time.

O Third sector has a key role to play in bringing together experts, including technology leaders, software engineers, researchers, and advocates, to present a set of principles that can be provided to policymakers. These guidelines can focus on issues such as programmer bias that can result in virtual worlds that do not reflect the interests, needs, and concerns of traditionally marginalized groups. Other areas of focus may include protecting the rights of minors and ensuring that hatred, violence and misogyny do not become pillars of Metaverse like on the internet. The first signs of such problems are already emerging in Metaverse, including incidents involving gaming avatars.

A good model for developing useful guidelines is the Commission of Information Disorder of Aspen Institute , which brought together participants from academia, government, Philanthropy It is Civil society to issue recommendations on combating disinformation, including increasing Transparency of social media companies and develop digital communication tools that build empathy and encourage trust.

Stay on top of technological innovations — and make sure donors and donors do the same.

In a now infamous audience of 2018 on Facebook's regulation, congressional lawmakers who questioned Zuckerberg appeared uninformed about the tech giant's most basic operations and ill-equipped to craft policy responses to complex regulatory issues involving the company. This cannot happen again.

Those who influence policy, including foundation leaders and staff, must stay abreast of advances in technology and their impact on society. They should read Ready Player One, the science fiction novel that imagines a semi-dystopian virtual future. They must familiarize themselves with the Oculus VR, the virtual reality headset system that is now owned by Facebook and is the main equipment available to interact with the Metaverse. And they must follow closely who is investing in Metaverse - it's because.

Beneficiaries and employees of the Program from the Foundation focused on a range of issues, including climate change, democracy, racial justice, education and health, should be brought together for hands-on training sessions that use virtual reality to demonstrate how their work can interact with the Metaverse . These meetings should highlight the potential for positive impact, including the use of digital tools for more inclusive and equitable democratic engagement, as well as the potential harms. These harms include the deepening spread of misinformation through technologies that can make conspiracy theories seem more real and convincing than what is available on the internet today. Bad actors, for example, can create and control three-dimensional images of political leaders who spew harmful misinformation and lies in their own voices.

Advocate for a balanced regulatory approach to Metaverse – and the larger technology industry.

Since Zuckerberg's 2018 testimony before Congress, government leaders have become more knowledgeable and receptive to changes in technology. For example, a investigation credibility of the Chamber Judiciary is investigating anti-competitive practices in the technology sector; the Federal Trade Commission started efforts promising enforcement to ensure technology companies comply with antitrust laws; and last month, a Senate subcommittee held a court hearing substantive question about the effects of social media on young people, questioning the head of Instagram.

All of this activity provides an opening for developing policy solutions that address the big ethical questions surrounding the Metaverse and its associated technologies. Philanthropists must work with governments to seize this opportunity and advocate for policies that make privacy and public protection a priority in creating this new world, avoiding the overregulation that impedes innovation.

Encourage long-term thinking focused on the needs of future generations.

O Metaverse it has the potential to become an immersive space where the kind of civic and community spirit we've seen during the pandemic thrives. It could amplify traditionally marginalized voices, such as young people of color, recent immigrants, those who have not attended college, and formerly incarcerated people. It could encourage greater empathy, allowing people to engage deeply with those with whom they disagree and whose life experiences are significantly different from their own.

Perhaps most notable is that the Metaverse have the power to more vividly and tangibly represent the needs of future unborn generations – potentially helping to combat the short-term thinking that makes tackling issues like climate change so challenging. All of this is possible through technologies that allow people to take on and engage with different personalities and perspectives, allowing residents of a city, town or even nation to think about the impact of their decisions on those living in the distant future.

Real-world efforts of this kind are already underway and could be the basis of projects supported by the Third sector at the Metaverse. For example, as part of the movement Future Design In Japan, residents of communities across the country are invited to public meetings and asked to make recommendations on a range of policy issues. Half are asked to represent the perspective of current residents and half are asked to represent the perspective of residents as of 2060. Future-oriented groups have consistently proposed more progressive, equitable, and sustainable policies that would produce long-term benefits for the city, while those who played the role of current residents responded almost entirely to current needs.

Fund innovative projects that put civic issues at the center of Metaverse.

The pandemic has provided a glimpse into how technology can be used in positive and democratic ways. The number of mutual aid networks increased sharply with the implementation of online tools to raise funds and coordinate logistics to help people in need. Public libraries expanded their Wi-Fi hotspots to help those seeking better internet connections for school and work, and lent iPads to local hospitals and nursing homes so isolated patients could communicate with loved ones and doctors.

In recent years, efforts to use digital tools for democratic engagement have also grown in popularity. Cities and organizations around the world use an open source platform for participatory democracy called Decide to bring diverse and often unheard voices into the political decision-making process.

With philanthropic support, efforts like these can take off in the future. Metaverse. This is an area where donor collaboratives could be particularly powerful, ensuring that public – interest spaces within the Metaverse improve public well-being. One model is donor collaboration Reimagining the Civic Commons, which funds innovative approaches to physical public spaces that encourage civic engagement, diversity and Sustainability environmental.

Much of the potential of Metaverse may be hard to imagine today. But we know one thing for sure – the Metaverse is coming, and philanthropic leaders need to open their eyes to its promise and potential pitfalls. In Snow Crash, the novel that introduced readers to the Metaverse, the character Ravena expresses herself as follows: “The world is full of things more powerful than us. But if you know how to hitchhike, you can go places.”

Article By Hollie Russon Gilman and Ari Wallach and Extracted from Philanthropy