Beyond Distance, Not Beyond Enframing: A Heideggerian Analysis of the Metaverse

Abstract

In one of the most renowned articles, Heidegger released in his later career, The Question Concerning Technology, the brilliant thinker famously warned that modern technologies are turning humans from authentic dwellers in the world to resources to be optimized. However, against the backdrop of a drained era manipulated by vicious technologies, the concept of the metaverse seems to emerge as a savior, creating a world where humans are granted omnipotent powers and are enabled to, once again, reclaim their dominion over technology. In fact, the prospering gaming industry and flourishing virtual reality market demonstrate that more and more people are turning to the virtual world to regain control of their lives after exhaustive work. This paper scrutinizes this very phenomenon and examines whether the metaverse really extends beyond the limits of enframing technology that Heidegger criticizes. By distinguishing ready-to-hand engagement from the standing-reserve and analyzing the metaverse as a “tool of tools,” we argue that virtual environments can preserve worldhood and subjectivity and, therefore, indeed possess the potentiality of transcending traditional technology. However, a closer look reveals that despite its unique advantages, the current metaverse is constructed in a manner susceptible to intentional information manipulation, which will eventually intensify, rather than overcome, the enframing. After articulating the potential and challenges of the metaverse, this paper closes by outlining design conditions for a genuinely poietic metaverse that serves Dasein without reducing it to standing-reserve.