Keke Palmer Hired By Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta To Explain What The Metaverse Is
It seems like everyone wants in on this new conversation around the Metaverse – and not just in technology. From the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards gearing up to present its award for “Best Metaverse Performance” to LGBTQ+ leaders such as Law Roach in the immersive VR world of the Metaverse Culture Series: PRIDE Unbound, it’s clearly sweeping across fashion, music, education, culture, and more. The problem doesn’t seem to be how can we start integrating it into various industries, but what the heck is it? Thankfully, Keke Palmer is up for the job to explain it to us all.
The Millennial Diva herself was dubbed with the task when she was recruited by Meta to host “Are We There Yet?” — a video series breaking down all of the “boundless possibilities” of the metaverse. The first episode stars Keke “Keep A Bag” Palmer and Vishal Shah, Meta’s VP of Metaverse, as they speed down the highways and byways of the tech giant’s VR platform.
“Could I reconstruct the Titanic, sail past an iceberg, and scream, ‘Not this time suckers!’?” Palmer posed rhetorically. In the passenger seat to her right, Shah reminds her that in the metaverse, “You can do a version of that now.” Girls United had a chance to get a breakdown from Palmer herself about her thoughts on the Metaverse and her involvement in the series.
Shah and Palmer on the set of Are We There Yet? | Courtesy of Meta
“I think of the metaverse as being the next evolution of the internet,” Palmer explained to Girls United. “The current phase of the internet is mostly looking at a screen on your laptop or on a phone– but the next chapter is about making the ways we connect even more immersive, so you feel like you’re right there with your friends or family.”
The Nope star was influenced to join the Metaverse for their new series after realizing her own relationship with social media and audience engagement. As someone who uses her Facebook and Instagram accounts as a “home base for how I keep people up to date,” the partnership between Keke and Meta seemed in perfect alignment with one another for her bag, Meta, and her fans that turn to her for a sense of connectivity and community.
When asked by Girls United about why it’s important for young Black girls to become involved in conversations around the Metaverse and other technological advancements, Palmer noted that the key thing to remember is that the Metaverse is a place for everyone to celebrate diversity in and out of VR.
Palmer with digital creator, Yonk. Courtesy of Meta
“Throughout my career, I’ve learned I’ve had to be vocal to make sure my voice is heard, and the good thing about the metaverse being in its early stages is that we can actually shape the future for how it’s built,” Palmer continued. “The metaverse can be a space for everyone, not just a select group– so whether you’re a young Black college student who has big dreams, or someone like Don Allen who I spoke with in our second episode about expression and creativity, we have a say in what the future of connection can be.”
In a recent Instagram post, Palmer introduced her followers to the idea of a “Kekeverse,” where anything and everything is possible. “Is it still a shower thought if I’m taking a shower in the Metaverse? Can the Metaverse handle all these moves? Can I have a pet unicorn inside of the metaverse?,” she asked herself rhetorically. But, we got the chance to ask her what exactly the construction of the Kekeverse might look like.
“That’s the fun part of building toward this future– the possibilities are legitimately endless and we’re just getting started. Anybody can have their own world where they play and learn, and making that available for everyone is the part that excites me most. If you’re coming through the Kekeverse, you know it’s going to be a fun place where anything can happen,” Palmer told Girls United.
Watch the first episode of Meta’s “Are We There Yet?” with Palmer below on Meta’s official YouTube channel: