Facebook’s parent company Meta has released a very unusual Super Bowl ad for its Quest 2 virtual reality headset, in which it compared its customers to a Chuck E- Cheese animatronic knockoff being put through a trash compactor — before being rescued by a kindhearted Quest 2 user.
The main goal of the ad is to get the people thrilled about the Metaverse. This platform basically allows people to stay and hang out in a virtual world with their own virtual belongings in the virtual setting.
However, it is still unclear why would the company use an animatronic dog destined for the landfill to reflect the users. Was it perhaps meant to evoke the many ups and downs of having to live through Facebook’s many controversial changes in direction?
More likely, the company’s depressing ad is meant to trigger a simplistic emotional response. The final interpretation lies with the users of course.
The ad also reflects that Metaverse is important for people to hang out in as it allows them to spend time with family and loved ones. While Meta may liken its customers to a rejected canine fur ball with legs, people in the real world still have far more agency than that, despite lockdowns and mandates.
Metaverse is constantly pushing virtual reality even though the physical world is not obsolete… yet.
So, who is this misguided Super Bowl ad really for? Is it meant to be a distraction from uncomfortable straps and motion sickness? Is the company implying that you can no longer have fun in the physical world?