Can AF Sancratosia take back the first place?
Nothing beats meeting micronationalists in person and with plenty of conferences all year it’s becoming easier. However, it still remains difficult for some people to attend these events. They are relatively costly in time and especially in money and they don’t always fall on moments when you are available.
And, with the advancement in technology, it becomes possible for most people to meet virtually. Not many people are not acquainted with platforms such as Google Meet, Zoom, Discord, Microsoft Teams, etc. but these platforms offer a format that is not the most interactive. The informal discussions and the one-on-one discussions are still functionalities that are difficulty obtained through these platforms. This is one of the main reason that pushes certain micronationalists to explore the use of metaverses for their micronational activities.
Such event that uses the metaverse for micronational purposes is Digi Micro Summit. The conference, which had its first edition last year, is utilizing the advantages of the metaverse to replicate most of the favourite elements of a micronational conference. Last year, attendees were able to chat in informal discussions, move around to have one-on-one discussions and gather in a virtual room to listen to presentation. The event even had an award ceremony where awards were given to people who had the chance to come up and “get” their award and say a few words.
Digi Micro Summit is organizing its second edition on 29–30 July and registrations are still open.
The Free Republic of Liberland never misses a chance to make a “splash” in the micronational community and they did when they announced the launch of Liberverse, a co-creation with Zaha Hadid Architects, Mytaverse and ArchAgenda a.o. In Liberverse, people can meet, work on projects and can even buy plots of land all with the aim of promoting the use of cryptocurrency. This metaverse is not only aligned with Liberland’s ideals and goals but it can really help it achieve them.
The Republic of Poets are also one of the few micronations, like Liberland, that have decided to push their online platform further than a Facebook group or a Discord server (and they still maintain a presence on Facebook) and allow their citizens a way to interact in a more “physical” way. The metaverse is an interesting tool especially for a micronation, such as Poets, which attracts citizens from afar and allow them a greater sense of community.
With the multiplication of metaverse platforms, only the future will tell if the use of metaverse will grow within micronations or if it will only be a rarity in the community. The high costs to access the full features on many metaverses platforms, the sometimes limited activities offered and the difficulty to reunite many citizens at the same time to create a lively environment are many challenges that face micronations wishing to adopt a metaverse as a way of doing things.