Ergün Alver & Berk Can Dereci
The technological concept of "metaverse," which has come to the fore recently, was brought under the spotlight at the Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) event.
Important names from the industry were hosted in the "Metaverse Event" at the Atatürk Congress and Culture Center (AKM), which was held in a panel format.
Turkey Metaverse Platform President Prof. Dr. Levent Eraslan, Blockchain & Metaverse Academy Founder Devrim Danyal, and Bilkent University Faculty of Law faculty member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pınar Çağlayan Aksoy were the guests on the panel moderated by Dr. İsmail İşeri from OMU Engineering Faculty Computer Engineering Department.
Rector Prof. Dr. Yavuz Ünal, Atakum Mayor Cemil Deveci, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Cengiz Batuk, Industry, and Technology Provincial Director Selahattin Altunsoy, Samsun Technopark General Manager Ekrem Altan, academics and many students followed the event.
At the panel's opening, Rector Ünal said, "Samsun Technopark should not be seen as just a structural arrangement. On the contrary, Technopark is a structure that aims to quickly carry out the world of the future within the sector and by holding the sector's hand through technological possibilities. Technopark has achieved this to a large extent and gained a new dimension with its extension through the additional area of Ballıca in partnership with OMU and Samsun University (SAMÜ). There will be a new development that will contribute to Samsun in the coming time."
Speaking about the concrete steps taken in the field of cyber security at OMU, Rector Yavuz Ünal said, "Within these developments, the 'Incubation Center' belonging to OMU was opened in the Organized Industrial Zone, and the area next to the OMU Olympic Swimming Pool and Sports Center was designated as the 'Software Base'. At the same time, we plan to establish a Cyber Security Vocational School on campus. In addition, establishing the Cyber Security and Information Technologies Application and Research Center in OMU shows OMU's determined stance against the changes in the world and technology. I should emphasize that Technopark acts as an engine between industry and technology."
Pointing out that it is impossible to fall behind in technology today, Rector Unal said, "If you cannot use technology, it means technology is using you. A person either becomes an enemy or shies away from what he does not know. However, in the globalizing world, it is no longer possible to stay out. Therefore, the responsibility of university students is to take the lead in the sector in question and to create works that will make a name for themselves. In this panel, we will talk about the concepts on which some meanings are loaded, identities are built, and positions are formed in social layers, entering our agenda and standing in the right place to establish a relationship with those concepts and shape the virtual world."
After the keynote, the panel was carried out interactively around questions such as What is Metaverse? What kind of future awaits us with Metaverse? How can we benefit from the possibilities of the virtual universe? What do we know about the social problems caused by the artificial universe and the legal regulations about them?
In the panel moderated by Dr. İsmail İşeri, Turkey Metaverse Platform President Prof. Dr. Levent Eraslan, who answered the question of what the Metaverse is, said: "Metaverse is a natural result, and we see that when we look at web 1.0 and web 2.0. The Web 1.0 era was when we were the audience, something would be uploaded, and we would just watch it. Web 2.0 also includes social media, so we both produced, listened to, and watched from the other side in this medium. Web 3.0, on the other hand, is the system we call the Metaverse, a decentralized structure. This system has several components. For example, you cannot stay in this field without knowing Blockchain. Blockchain is the confirmation center of the future world. The world is a little behind in this regard. On the other hand, we addressed this issue very early, which is a very pleasing development. As a country, we are far ahead of Europe. We are outstanding both in software and applications. The platform called Metavision belongs to our country. On this platform, we create a universe and establish our system. Therefore, this will change our future, economy, and culture. Entrepreneurship has turned into digital entrepreneurship by leaving the conventional (traditional) field. We must now place digital entrepreneurship in minds. We have the Social Media and Digital Security Education Research Center (SODİMER), and we teach these subjects for free. We welcome our students to our Center."
Devrim Danyal, one of the panelists who answered questions on the Blockchain, referred to the Metaverse being described as the concept of freedom after the 2000s and said, "Concepts such as Blockchain, smart contract, NFT (non-fungible token), Metaverse have begun to enter our lives in the last ten years. We transfer our lives to machines that work faster than us. From the very beginning, we define the Metaverse as the other universe. We create a world and avatar for ourselves to get away from our troubles and problems. We have four basic components: alphabet, notes, colors, and digitality. We exemplify these four components in the same way we brought the world from the past to the present. We make them visible with metaverse fiction that appears much faster, more desirable, and in many different formats. One of the biggest problems in the world is trust. Blockchain is a new medium to be trusted in the recording ecosystem. We define the Metaverse as a new world that works on it."
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pınar Çağlayan Ersoy talked about the connection between the metaverse and informatics law and talked about this process as follows: "After the concept of decentralization emerged, it was questioned whether there was a need for a legal system. In this system, people do not have to state their real-life identities and can exist in this area anonymously. It was not expected that the issue of how to file a lawsuit in the absence of an interlocutor in a possible violation of rights and interests would attract such attention in the field of law. However, in recent years, we have seen that disputes originating from Blockchain, NFT, crypto and Metaverse have gradually started to be brought before the courts."
In the "Digital Competition" held after the panel, 24 questions were asked about the Metaverse. The contestant who gave the most correct answers in the competition won a smart watch, while the other contestants were given honorable mentions.
After the competition, the guest panelists were presented with gifts by Samsun Technopark General Manager Ekrem Altan.
The "Metaverse Event" held at AKM continued with events and presentations at the stands of the companies.
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