Foresight 16: An interview with Navah Berg, social VR expert, community builder + metaverse content creator
A bi-weekly newsletter diving into the concepts, people and brands shaping the future of retail, entertainment and connectivity.
Welcome back to Foresight!
This week's edition features an interview with Navah Berg, a social VR expert, Web3 and metaverse content creator, and community builder to name a few specialties. We learn about all things virtual reality including Navah’s journey into the space, simple steps for brands exploring the tech and the future role of content creators. Navah also shares the best platforms and people at the forefront of the industry to follow and some amazing recommendations for staying in the know.
I hope you find these insights helpful and get you excited about all things VR. Thank you, Navah!
IDEAS, INSIGHTS & FORWARD-THINKING PERSPECTIVES
How did you get started in social VR? What originally piqued your interest or what was your ‘aha’ moment when you knew social VR was going to take off?
I had been doing social media and PR since 2008 working on strategies, audits and community building. I was deep in the constant scroll of the newsfeed and I couldn’t see how a real connection could happen without something else. The only time you could connect with your audience was via a 2D newsfeed but that connection changed when you met in person at conferences, which really ignited that whole relationship. Magic Leap was in my backyard where I was living at the time and I decided to try social VR after reading about the company. I then invested in a conference for myself and wanted to test run a headset before investing to see if the experience really was as everyone said. I was completely immersed and at that moment, knew this and 3D was the future. I bought a headset and dived in, starting to use it as I would in social media. The feeling of presence was the biggest point of difference when using social media in 2D versus 3D.
I began interviewing artists because these are the key players that will be creating our worlds. These creators were working directly with clients or brands to create worlds that could be experienced by followers as soon as more than 1% of the world had a headset. Fast forward to today and it’s hard to even catch a break with the space evolving so quickly. I remember connecting with someone from Vietnam who had a translator in VR with him and was translating in real-time—it was quite amazing. That’s when I started writing about social VR and the future of—I don’t want to say marketing because the future is going to be centred around creators and community for brands. The most important part of all this is that it really truly builds community because of the presence. That’s what made me buy the headset. I thought “this is the future of content."
Presence is something we’re hearing a lot of people talk about as we move from Web2 to Web3. For those who are unfamiliar with social VR, how would you explain the concept?
It’s almost like a chat. You put on a headset, for example, a Meta (Oculus) Quest 2, connected to an app on your phone. You’re then in a 360, completely immersed image that moves when you move. You feel like you’re inside a website. People who have the same interests create a world where communities can gather. Paige Dansinger, a VR museum builder, and I created Women in Horizon, another group created Diversified Voices and another for the LGBTQ+ community. These groups offer meet-ups and experiences with other people that have the same interests as you. You’re in the chat and you’re chatting like how you and I are chatting (Navah and I used Zoom). You see them, hear their voice and look into their eyes—the eye tracking in Horizon is incredible. Facebook is a good entrance because it’s more conformable to speak with people you know have a Facebook page, they’re real people.
That’s a great point about Facebook being a strong entry point for those reasons.
It’s a great way to get your feet wet. I’d even start with joining groups before you head into VR and start reading about people’s experiences. Then head into the headset. You can always go to a retailer and try it there, and search for local VR meet-ups to speak with people who are actually in it. That’s really how I started. I read about it, interviewed people and then headed right in.
For brands, thinking about bringing VR or AR into their strategies can be daunting. What are some simple actionable steps that can be taken to get started?
Work with people who are in the know and have done their research. There’s going to be a lot of companies that say they’re experienced with AR/VR and maybe really haven’t. It’s really the basics of marketing, people first and technology second. What problem are you trying to solve? Are you implementing it to say you’re using the tech? Are you attempting to create a world inside of the metaverse or a virtual space? Just like you would with any marketing strategy, you would first find out why.
For example, you're a brand in COVID and you can’t get people into your stores. That’s when some research is required to find out what area is best for you. We already know not everyone has a headset, there’s about 10 million total in the world right now, so online virtual spaces like The Sandbox, Decentraland and Roblox are a great place to start for creating virtual worlds. You can take what you’re doing in there and create it inside virtual reality. This is one example, there are really so many different areas you can go through depending on your audience, what your needs are and what the strategy is.
How do you think the current role of influencers will evolve?
I think influencers are the celebrity branding moment of social media. Today, it’s more important for brands to look at who actually loves their brand, are they creating cool content, and do they actually use the brand. Once you know who these people are, you can create a community within the metaverse and have them engage in meet-ups and experiences. I don’t think there’s a space for influencers. I do think there’s a space for people who want to lead in communities. I don’t think doing ads for people who don’t care about your brand is going to sell people in the next phase of the internet. I think the next phase is really about building community, creating governance and having insiders where they can tell your story without saying “look at me” in the metaverse.
I agree, I think the idea of ambassadors goes way further for brands. For people who are looking to learn more and keep up with how social VR is evolving, what are your go-to resources?
That’s a wonderful question because it took me a long time to find that in this industry. There’s a writer, Bobby Carlton, who writes about social experiences in VR for VR Focus—he’s one to watch. The Verge and Protocol are also great resources, Casey Newton, Senior Editor at The Verge, is very knowledgeable in the space. Twitter Spaces and Clubhouse are excellent platforms—this is where all the virtual reality early adopters are living. Joining a chat and asking questions during live sessions is the best way to stay ahead with news breaking on social audio platforms every day. Look at applications such as Horizon Worlds, AltspaceVR and Rec Room, as well as their Twitter feeds to understand how users are engaging with these platforms. Podcasts like Cathy Hackl’s Metaverse Marketing and Into The Metaverse where you can hear from industry experts are also top recommendations.
For social VR specifically, research social metaverse, although I think we’re getting into a space where you no longer need to include social because the metaverse is only going to work if it's social. So, any experience you create needs to be social. There are also so many different categories in social VR—mental health, wellness, gaming, the list goes on. You almost have to hone in on what you’re interested in. You can also always reach out to me—or Olivia—and she’ll let you know!
These are all so great! Where can people find and follow you for more?
On Twitter at @Navahk and on Linkedin.
WHAT I’M READING
Apple AR Headset: Here’s everything we know so far
How are retailers embracing the metaverse?
Nike launches ‘Nikeland’ on Roblox
Facebook reaches for more realistic VR with haptic gloves
Beauty in the metaverse: Where it’s heading