Author: Kelechi Edeh
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, introduced a new youthful metaverse avatar after his previous avatar drew criticism on social media.Â
Some users described the former avatar as “creepy” and “dead-eyed” by several users. Others also criticized the avatar’s graphics by calling it terrible.Â
Well, Zuckerberg responded.Â
The company’s new virtual reality software, Horizon Worlds, which debuted this past week in France and Spain, sparked the response.
Zuckerberg responded to the comments made by users on social media by saying, “I know that the photo I uploaded before was quite simple – it was taken really fast to commemorate a launch.”Â
He continued that the graphics in Horizon Worlds are far more advanced and developing quickly.
Let’s discuss Horizon Worlds and the CEO’s new avatar in more detail.
Social media reaction to Zuckerberg’s avatar
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg published a picture of his avatar standing in front of the Effiel tower following the unveiling of Horizon World in France and Spain.Â
On the other hand, social media users had a field day with it. One Twitter user compared the graphics of the avatar to those of an old Nintendo Wii game. Other users have reached the avatar image to the Sim City game from 1995.
Most users, particularly followers of the metaverse and virtual reality (VR), think that the avatar’s portrait, which the CEO claimed was taken quickly to commemorate a launch, represents the new Horizon Worlds app, and they are unimpressed.
However, after updating their avatar selfie, some users say they are “pleased to realize that Horizon Worlds is capable of superior graphics.” It also looks like the outcry has subsided.
What does this mean for Horizon Worlds?
The metaverse’s capabilities are frequently questioned as a substitute for face-to-face connection. Mark Cuban, a billionaire, recently denounced the trend of real estate trading in the metaverse. Zuckerberg predicted that the company’s metaverse would lose huge sums early this year. However, as Facebook’s user base declines and concerns about the costly drive into the metaverse mount, Meta’s stock has lost half of its worth this year. Also, as the company’s revenue growth slowed in May, it froze hiring.
Meta’s Horizon Worlds is now accessible for the Quest headset in the US, Canada, and the UK. We, therefore, assume that the fate of this $10 billion project will only be revealed with time.
Summary
On Friday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed his updated, boyish metaverse avatar. He shared it on Instagram after a disturbing, dead-eyed version was ridiculed a few days before. The CEO also mentioned significant changes to Meta’s Horizon Worlds metaverse platform were on the way.
