The Need for Unique Identifiers in the Metaverse with Benjamin Bertram Goldman - Step into the Metaverse podcast: EP30

Dr Mark van Rijmenam, CSP -

In this episode of the Step into the Metaverse Podcast, I had a chat with Benjamin Bertram Goldman. He is a producer, filmmaker, and media entrepreneur featured in The NY Times, CNN, WIRED, MSNBC, HBO, TechCrunch, BBC, FUJI TV, and Metavision. He has been exploring the metaverse creatively and professionally for over 10 years, with a particular focus on the intersection of the metaverse and the emerging world of virtual production.

Benjamin studied virtual production at NYU and CG Spectrum, built and moderated several online communities, and today leads the creation of a virtual production studio at the sustainable investing firm Ethic, in addition to serving as a metaverse advisor to multiple companies.

During the interview, we talked about avatars, identity in the metaverse, and how people interact with avatars. We also talked about how to deal with impostor avatars, some of the ethical challenges of the metaverse, and the role of NFTs in creating a rich and vibrant metaverse economy. Enjoy!

Highlights

  • [01:13] - Shifting from his background in TV and film to dive into the metaverse.
  • [04:00] - Metaverse TV: The first television network in the metaverse.
  • [06:55] - A network of virtual worlds and why identity and reputation are important to it.
  • [09:14] - How impostor avatars will be dealt with.
  • [11:54] - Guidance for brands to leap into the metaverse.
  • [15:33] - Why governments can't miss the bus on metaverse.
  • [22:18] - No user-generated content, No metaverse.
  • [25:24] - A rich and vibrant metaverse economy founded on openness and respect for the rights of avatars.
  • [29:35] - Broad view of what the future of the metaverse will look like.

Quotes


“The metaverse is a network of virtual worlds” - Benjamin Bertram Goldman
“While a virtual world is not the real world, the line between the two is almost meaningless” - Benjamin Bertram Goldman
“NFTs have come along and solved the very critical problem, which is how to denote digital ownership” - Benjamin Bertram Goldman
“There is no metaverse without user-generated content” - Benjamin Bertram Goldman
“Avatars are the vehicle through which users can influence the world. You can’t have a metaverse unless you have users influencing the world” - Benjamin Bertram Goldman

If you are interested in learning more about the metaverse, you can order my book Step into the Metaverse here.