Pro Senectute Beider, a nonprofit specialising in old age-related issues in Basel, has baffled the public by announcing it has spent 15.000 Swiss francs on buying land in the Metaverse. The move has been criticised by some as a waste of money, but Pro Senectute’s managing director argues this is an important step in preparing for the future. 

The first non-profit in Switzerland to own land in the Metaverse

The purchase of 15.000 francs worth of land in the Metaverse makes Pro Senectute the first non-profit organisation in Switzerland to have bought land in the Metaverse. The managing director of the organisation told 20 minuten that the organisation wants “to secure a good place in the growing digital space while it is still affordable". "We have the opportunity here to gain experience with little money and to find a way of dealing with things in an increasingly virtual world", managing director Michael Harr added. 

Harr acknowledged that the technology will not be widely used by the elderly in Switzerland today, but suggested that in 30 to 40 years, the move could assist future generations in getting advice from trusted professionals at the organisation about general questions or concerns relating to old age. “And if that's not the case, we've already been able to carefully study the technology. We can only win”, Harr added. 

The Metaverse in Switzerland

Social media users were quick to ridicule the purchase, stating that pensioners in Switzerland are unlikely to be well-versed in the Metaverse and that the VR headset technology needed to use the system is expensive. “15.000 francs spent on a piece of nothing in the void", wrote journalist Adrienne Fichter on Twitter. "I would actually like to crack a grandson trick joke, but it's almost too tragic how money is wasted", added another user. 

The Metaverse is a virtual world created by Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg. His ambition is to see a blending of the online and virtual worlds through technology such as VR in the Metaverse, though at the moment there is much debate around how this could look, with several competing platforms trialling the technology.