To Thrive in the Metaverse, We Can't Neglect Our Real Bodies

The challenge The idea of the metaverse has been around for decades, the term first coined by author Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel Snow Crash. Recently, the ideas—and future—of what the metaverse will become continue to garner more buzz and consumer attention than ever before. We’re on the brink of a tremendous technological milestone for the metaverse and Web3. It’s important to pay attention to what’s going on, even if you’re not particularly interested yet, because eventually we will all undoubtedly have some footprint or engagement in this emerging space. While new digital experiences are exciting, we must not lose sight of the importance of innovating for our most basic human needs and lived experiences. In many ways, we’re looking at a more “plugged in” and digitally native future. But brand and product innovation needs to happen on both sides of the equation—virtual and lived. Growth in our virtual experiences as well as our real lives will create a more fulfilling and healthier future for all. The challenge in front of us now is how to help consumers find balance and focus on getting back into their bodies for pleasure, energy and peace. The process Human connections—with our loved ones, our communities and ourselves—are vital to our wellbeing. We are people first, and industry leaders should keep that in mind as they create new products, services and ways of working. Pew Research conducted a study in early 2021 to understand how people around the world find meaning in their lives and how that has shifted since 2017. Family and children topped the list globally, while non-romantic social relationships with friends and neighbors, personal health, experiencing nature and local communities also ranked high. What do all of these things have in common? They exist in our lived experience. Meaning and joy in life are largely derived from interpersonal relationships, sensory experiences and our relationship with our own minds and bodies. Part of this new metaverse has been reimagining corporeal experiences, further removing us from our lived realities. Even our professional workspaces are moving more into the metaverse. Recently, tech giants like Twitter, Peloton and Slack have all announced that employees can work remotely indefinitely. Facebook now offers its employees access to Horizon Workrooms, where they interact as digital avatars using the Oculus Quest headset. The metaverse can be helpful in connecting remote co-workers and offering them tools for collaboration, but it’s important we don’t lose sight of the importance of our bodily experiences and needs. I first began exploring cannabis in an attempt to reengage my own mind and body—to attain more calm and focus, deeper sleep, less stress, greater pleasure—and to harness energy for living my multi-hyphenate life. Through trial and error, research and development and understanding which of our needs have the biggest gaps in being met, I've been able to create content, conversation and commerce solutions in the CBD space for keys areas of our lived experiences: sleep, stress, sex and strength. On a personal level, I’m excited for our digital future. But we—business leaders and our collective society—cannot engage in further innovation and product adoption without keeping our most tired, most disconnected and most in-need users in mind. When it comes to business and product innovation, we need more products to help people unplug and reconnect with themselves, their wellness and their communities on every level. The takeaway Business leaders and decision makers must keep human wellness in our lived world at the core of their innovation strategies. We are people first, and industry leaders should keep that in mind as they create new products, services and ways of working. Innovation needs to happen on both sides of the equation—we will all need help to unplug and get back into our bodies. I welcome all of the entrepreneurs and investors shaping our digital futures, but we must continue to pay attention and support those focused on our offline world, serving people with best-in-class products and services so they can live meaningful, fulfilling lives in every universe. As the world becomes more digitally native, we need products and policies that serve our physical and mental wellness as an antidote to the metaverse. 5 Marketing Mistakes Made by CBD Brands (And How to Avoid Them)

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Our Lived Experiences Are an Antidote to the Metaverse

We are humans first, and innovation must support our offline selves too

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Amanda Goetz

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Amanda Goetz