Matt Hancock is first MP to join Metaverse and shares 'creepy' avatar
Matt Hancock becomes first MP to join the Metaverse and shares ‘creepy’ avatar – which is criticised as more ‘buff’ than the former Health Secretary in real life
- The Metaverse is a digital space where users can escape into a virtual world
- The virtual reality platform was launched by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg
- Conservative MP Hancock has been attempting to cement himself in tech world
- This is since he resigned as healthy secretary after caught kissing his aide
Matt Hancock has shared his ‘creepy’ personalised avatar as he becomes the first MP to join the Metaverse, sparking a strong reaction on social media.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg launched the virtual reality platform, which is a digital space where users can escape into a virtual world, and also faced ridicule for his avatar on social media.
Former Conservative health secretary Mr Hancock resigned from government after he was caught on camera kissing aide Gina Coladangelo at work in breach of coronavirus restrictions, leading one Twitter user to post: ‘Just when I thought nothing could be worse than THAT image of Matt Hancock. Here’s his metaverse avatar.’
Another thought the virtual version of the Tory MP was ‘creepy’ but ‘fails to be as creepy as his actual face’, while one more suggested they would need to attend therapy after seeing the image.
The Tory MP joined an event run by tech firms Shift – whose name appears as a badge on his avatar – and Whitespace, meant to help organisations put together networking events online.
Matt Hancock has shared his personalised avatar (pictured) as he becomes the first MP to join the Metaverse. The Tory MP joined an event run by tech firms Shift, whose name appears as a badge on his avatar, and Whitespace
The former Conservative health secretary resigned from government after he was caught on camera kissing aide Gina Coladangelo at work in breach of coronavirus restrictions
Meanwhile, someone else thought Hancock looked more ‘buff’ in the Metaverse.
The virtual version of the ex-cabinet minister was also compared to Succession character Kendall Roy, TV host Judge Rinder and the infamous bronze statue of Manchester United star Ronaldo.
The West Suffolk MP has recently been attempting to cement himself in the tech world and champion its cause, featuring on the likes of the Diary of a CEO podcast and urging Parliament to adopt metaverse innovation. He also launched his own app in 2018.
Hancock believes the Metaverse should be ‘open and free’ – but voiced his concern about the platform becoming a technology run by the few in a talk entitled ‘Web 3.0: What The Future Holds and Why It Must Be Open and Safe’.
‘I’ve long been interested in innovation, and the way technology can transform and improve the way we live,’ Hancock has said. ‘The Metaverse is an incredibly important and exciting new technology.’
Social media users voiced their opinions on the former health secretary’s Metaverse avatar
The virtual reality platform, which is a digital space where users can escape into a virtual world, was launched by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (pictured)
Zuckerberg has admitted that his own avatar, a selfie in front of a virtual Eiffel Tower, was a little ‘basic’ after much criticism from social media users
The MP added: ‘We’ve got the opportunity right now to make sure that the next generation of communications is not only open and free, but defined by open standards – not just a small number of organisations.’
A spokesman for Hancock made clear the tech company had made the avatar. ‘Matt is flattered that Whitespace have made this avatar, following his speech earlier this year on how we can ensure the metaverse is open and free, while protecting against misinformation.’
Meanwhile, Zuckerberg has admitted that his own avatar, a selfie in front of a virtual Eiffel Tower, was a little ‘basic’.
He shared the image of his virtual self as part of the launch for Horizon Worlds, which is his latest application for the Metaverse.
Zuckerberg has predicted the virtual world will reach over one billion people within a decade.
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