[In-Depth Look] In 2045, Are You Happy?

Ham Hyeri / Journalist · Cultural Critic

One of the biggest changes brought about by the COVID-19 situation is the normalization of "non-face-to-face" interactions. Zoom classes and meetings, as well as online shopping, have become natural. Going beyond digital substitution of parts of reality, a new world has been created where reality is entirely replaced by digital, allowing people to meet, work, and even conduct economic activities in the digital realm. This is the so-called "metaverse." On metaverse platforms, it is trendy for avatars to purchase luxury goods on behalf of users and to enjoy exhibitions and concerts. Government ministries, local governments, universities, companies, and financial sectors alike are competing to launch services and content utilizing the metaverse.

While some skeptics argue that the current metaverse craze is a bubble, considering the pace of ICT technology development, it is not something to be easily dismissed. Following virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), extended reality (XR) technology is also under development. XR is an ultra-realistic video technology that encompasses VR, AR, and mixed reality (MR) technologies. Unlike VR and AR services that use existing graphic content, XR will enable the creation, transmission, and reproduction of 4D immersive content of real people and objects. With the advent of the fifth-generation mobile communication (5G) era, the expansion of various XR-based services is expected to make things seen in science fiction movies a reality soon.

At the university where I lecture, I assigned students a writing task to imagine they had time-slipped to the year 2045 and to write about "a day in my life." The year 2045 is the era depicted in Steven Spielberg's movie "Ready Player One," which deals with the metaverse. Dreaming about the future is a joyful activity, so the intention was to let them freely spread their wings of imagination. I was also curious about how the MZ generation students, who grew up in a world where the internet and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are commonplace, envision life 24 years from now.

I expected their imaginations to be filled with joy, but contrary to expectations, the future they imagined was not all rosy. Thanks to AI development, everything was automated, robots meticulously managed daily schedules, and personalized health care was provided, which was good?but that was not all. In fact, that world was bleak, lonely, and desolate. Summarizing the students' writings into a storytelling narrative, it would roughly go like this.

"Mechanical civilization advances, but human alienation deepens. The promise of carbon neutrality has long been broken, and the Earth is boiling. To forget lonely and exhausting lives, people do not hesitate to seek the virtual world. There, they work, meet friends, and live glamorous and enjoyable lives, but the greater the happiness felt in the virtual world, the harsher reality feels. Therefore, many people make extreme choices in the virtual world. Whether in the virtual or real world, undertakers have no rest. There are many sudden deaths while gaming and lonely deaths. Then one day, a blackout occurs. The complete darkness, where nothing can be done, shocks everyone. Some take their own lives, while others come to their senses. Despite the darkness and filthiness, they decide to find their true selves and return to reality."

The reason young people focus on the metaverse and why they envision a pessimistic future 24 years from now is the same: the present they are experiencing is tough. Various statistics represent the reality they face. The extended unemployment rate of youth (ages 15?29), including those "effectively unemployed" preparing for employment, is 21.7%. Among the record-high number of discouraged job seekers (583,000 as of June), nearly half are in their 20s and 30s.

According to a "Youth Job Perception Survey" released by the Korea Economic Research Institute last September, 69.5% of respondents (ages 18?29) answered that the likelihood of getting a job at their desired workplace is low. Even if they are lucky enough to get a job, saving up to buy a home is truly a "dream" due to skyrocketing real estate prices. There is no hope to hold onto. Those who should be planning their futures are losing sleep worrying about the bleak days ahead. This is a reality that the metaverse cannot solve.