Mark Zuckerberg’s extensive video about Facebook / Meta’s pivot to the metaverse has become something of a meme, but perhaps the best parody of the presentation was done this week by, of all places, the country of Iceland.
In a nearly two-and-a-half-minute video, a man who is identified as Chief Visionary Officer Zack Mossbergsson begins a discussion about “a revolutionary approach on how to connect our world without being super weird.
“Some said it’s not possible,” he continues. “Some said it’s out of reach. To them, we say, it’s already here.” He then gestures in the general direction of a beautiful, snow-covered Icelandic landscape that stretches as far as the eye can see. “Seriously, look, it’s right here.”
The rest of the video is a hilarious pitch for the “Icelandverse,” which he describes as an “enhanced, actual reality without silly-looking headsets.” I don’t want to spoil much more, but expect a lot of beautiful shots of Iceland and some corny but good jokes.
The thing is, even though this is a parody, it’s actually an incredible sales pitch for the country of Iceland. Which makes sense, as the video was made by an organization whose mission is to promote the country.
Metaverse, schmetaverse. I’m ready to go to the Icelandverse.