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Pricilla Chan, Mark Zukerberg’s wife, once stated that during their honeymoon she thought of Zukerberg as an Augustus. We say as a Augusts because it is a title and an interesting Roman title at that. the month of August was named after the Roman ruler Augustus Cesar in 8 B.C. It was previous names Sextilla, which is Latin for “sixth”. There are many interesting facts regarding the calendar used at least in western countries. Such as the fact that May was named for Maia an earth goddess. (wonerpolis.org February 16, 2022). It was Julis Cesar 44 B.C.E., who many know the month of July is named in honor of. The month was named Quintilis in the early Roman calendar, Latin for fifth month. It was this same Julis that reformed the Roman calendar. The high priest in charge of the calendar, pontifex maximus, often holding positions of religious and political influence would sometimes lengthen or shorten the calendar to keep or cut short certain political officials time in office. In part to circumvent this abuse, Julis implemented reforms to the Roman calendar. Julis’ calendar went into effect January 1st 45 B.C. for the day of January 709 A.U.C. (ab urbe condita) associated with the day of the founding of Rome.
The Julian calendar was the predominant calendar used in Europe for the next 1600 years until Pope Gregory made additional reforms in 1582 and it was used by Russia until 1917 and in China until 1949. The honor was bestowed upon Augustus after his grandnephew Augustus defeated Marc Antony and Cleopatra and became emperor of Rome stating that the Emperor Augustus Cesar in the month of Sextillis ….trice entered the city in triumph…and in the same month Egypt was brought under the authority of the Roman people, and in the same month an end was put to the civil wars. (infoplease.com February 16, 2022)
One can only imagine exactly what Chan was thinking. Nonetheless, as Zuckerberg in the last quarter of 2021 decided to create Metaverse with Facebook having more members than some countries. For instance in 2020 France had only 67.39 million citizens, which is not a small country by any stretch of the imagination. (google.com February 16, 2022) However, Facebook the largest social media platform in the world had approximately 2.89 billion active users per month world wide (statista.com February 16,2022). Consequently, one can understand why tech giants such as Facebook have begun to think in terms of nationhood at a time where people are reaching into space with thoughts of colonization through the international space station, Zuckerberg is taking the world into virtual reality.
Just like the Cambridge Analytical scandal, which still has many people grappling with privacy and boundaries in this new information age, like it or not Facebook, Instagram and perhaps some other Zuckerberg products have already pulled you into their Metaverse, likely unbeknownst to you and the other billions of users around the world. With European countries reeling from claims that Facebook has the largest number for reports of sexual assault online and can no longer be expected to police itself have begun to make moves to protect their children online by moving to enact laws.
Indeed, the internet of things and virtual realities is another space, like outer space, where one must consider justice, protection and privacy. One must consider laws that will govern these spaces. One must consider the impacts these spaces will have on our health with virtual reality units being a means of accessing these spaces and the seamless pursuits of technology and biotechnology virtual reality units have begun to become internalized into the human body (bio technology) and one could easily be one doctor’s appointment away from an unauthorized virtual reality experiment with future crimes and criminals awaiting with the next online gang rape tactic. The question is are parents even aware much less ready to protect their children online or in a simple gaming unit.
Some of the immediate concerns already expressed are:
Sexual assault and harassment
Privacy
Security
National Security
Mental Attacks
Future living spaces
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (Foundation) statement, perhaps mission statement, is as follows: leveraging technology, community driven solutions and collaboration to build a more inclusive, just and healthy future. Zuckerberg’s mother Karen was a psychiatrist and his father a dentist. Pricilla Chan is a pediatrician. With so many medical professionals surrounding Zuckerberg it is no wonder many have question the more clandestine activities implemented at Facebook and what exactly are Chan and Zuckerberg’s intentions in these universes they are building as we speak. Could your child be under mental assault. One thinks of mental health, but the Christian faith thinks in terms of the battle for the mind and how the mind can be under attack by the very people who profess to protect it.
As Facebook skated pass the Cambridge Analytica scandal shifting the blame and awakening many to the fact that their social media account could lead to U.S. election scandals like none other; cyber attacks; rashes of small wars and bio technologies that are so invasive that it has crossed several physical and mental boundaries. Not to mention its border-less platform has made nations shutter and reconsider how they govern a populous in a border-less online social media platform.
Augusts Zuckerberg may just have arrived with Metaverse. The Augustus known also as Octavian, the ‘First Citizen’ was the first emperor of Ancient Rome born September 23rd 63 B.C.E and was responsible for overhauling every aspect of life and bringing durable peace and prosperity to the Greco-Roman world. He was also an aristocratic dictator and like many Roman rulers of his day had a God complex influenced by Greco-Roman mythology and the founders of Rome: Romulus and Remus, brothers and, as mythology has it, the sons of pagan celestial god Mars. Yes, Mars the planet.
What are your thoughts on these technologies? How could they impact your health? How could they impact the way you live?
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