Only six people attended a Metaverse rave organised by The EU’s foreign aid department. Set up to educate and inform people about the EU’s Global Gateway investment plan, the whole event reportedly cost the European Commission’s foreign aid department a total of €387,000 to develop and promote.
According to Devex reporter Vince Chadwick, apparently staff within the Commission have deemed the event “digital garbage,” and “depressing and embarrassing.” Posting online as he attended the event, Chadwick tweeted:
“I’m here at the “gala” concert in the EU foreign aid dept’s €387k metaverse (designed to attract non politically engaged 18-35 year olds — see story below). After initial bemused chats with the roughly five other humans who showed up, I am alone.”
He also shared a video, which you can see below.
I’m here at the “gala” concert in the EU foreign aid dept’s €387k metaverse (designed to attract non politically engaged 18-35 year olds — see story below). After initial bemused chats with the roughly five other humans who showed up, I am alone. https://t.co/ChIHeXasQP pic.twitter.com/kZWIVlKmhL
— Vince Chadwick (@vchadw) November 29, 2022
Inside the event, users could log on as a digital avatar. They could then find a beach where non-stop house music was playing and users could interact with one another. Speaking to Devex, a spokesperson for the European Commission said, “It is the European Commission’s duty to inform EU citizens about its ongoing activities. This campaign fulfils that duty and, through innovative communication means such as the metaverse, aims to reach an audience that does not access the EU’s traditional sources of information.”
The Global Gateway plan is a flagship strategy for foreign aid that plans to “connect Europe to the world” by investing €300 billion in foreign infrastructure.
