Mark Zuckerberg says the metaverse wont be as smashing as

Mark Zuckerberg says the metaverse won’t be as smashing as his damn selfie

Mark Zuckerberg says the metaverse wont be as smashing as

Mark Zuckerberg recently shared a selfie to mark the expansion of Meta’s boring virtual reality platform Horizon Worlds to France and Spain. The graphic, which shows the boyish CEO in front of a low-resolution model of the Eiffel Tower, quickly struck a chord, drawing ridicule, jeers and sighs from savvy social media users. And honestly, can you blame them?

If the image offended you—and I personally would find it appropriate given Meta’s impact on our virtual past and present—then perhaps you can find solace in this: Mark Zuckerberg hears you. He sees you. And no, he’s more or less saying, the metaverse isn’t going to look that crazy. At least not forever.

Mark Zuckerberg's Horizon avatar looking just awful

Mark Zuckerberg’s Horizon Worlds avatar looking just awful. Photo credit: Facebook

“Major updates to Horizon and Avatar art are coming soon. I’ll be sharing more at Connect,” the CEO said on Instagram on Friday, referring to Meta’s upcoming developer conference. “I also know that the photo I posted earlier this week was pretty simple — it was taken very quickly to celebrate a launch,” the executive added, showing signs of humanity. The misstep reflected something entirely relatable: the act of posting a late-night selfie, only to regret it in the morning.

The meta chief’s response included another avatar and an antique-looking cafe with subtle details that evoke a little more Pixar and a little less e-card. Zuckerberg further assured his followers that meta’s graphics and avatars are “capable of much more – even on headsets – and Horizon is improving very quickly”.

I really hope, for the sake of all of us, that he’s right.