 Meta Platforms shares were down by 20% yesterday after the company's fourth-quarter results and first-quarter outlook were weaker than expected. This caused a domino effect as other popular social media platforms' share prices also dropped. Twitter decreased by 7.8%, and Snap Inc was down 19%. More: - Analysts had forecasted the earnings to be $3.85 a share and revenue of $33.4B.
- Meta (ticker: FB) reported a net income of $10.29B, at $3.67 a share, with revenue of $33.67B, which rose 20% YoY.
- Meta expects first-quarter earnings to be in the range of $27B to $29B, growth of 3% to 11%.
- Wall Street predicted first-quarter revenue of $30.2B.
- The family of social media apps, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp, reported an income of $15.9B.
- Reality Labs sales, including the Quest 2 headset, brought in $534M, $305M, $558M, and $877M across the four quarters of 2021. The sales of the headsets grew significantly during Black Friday and over Christmas.
- Despite the increased sales, Reality Labs reported a loss of $3.3B.
- CEO Mark Zuckerberg also mentioned Project Nazare, Meta's AR glasses prototype, as well as the "foundational hardware and software" that the company is working on for the metaverse. He claimed that the metaverse will be accessible to users in "non-VR formats."
Zoom out: - Facebook has 2.91 billion monthly users, which represents no growth in Q4. The company saw active users decrease for the first time in its 18-year history.
- The company is facing stiff competition from other social platforms, and younger generations prefer platforms like YouTube and TikTok for entertainment.
- Zuckerberg acknowledged that apps like "TikTok are growing quickly," and for this reason, the company will focus on Reels as a long-term solution to the demand.
- The company also faces a continuing investigation by the Federal Trade Commission into its acquisition of WhatsApp, Instagram, and other data breach issues.
- Mark Zukerberg also added: "We are rebuilding a lot of our ads infrastructure so we can continue to grow and deliver high-quality personalized ads."
Barrons 
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 The University of California at Riverside announced a collaboration with Circuit Stream to offer XR courses to students in the Los Angeles area. The university wants to help professionals prepare for a future in immersive technology as the field is expected to grow. More: - The courses will fill in the gaps that are needed to train students for tech industries' virtual worlds.
- Lou Pushelberg, CEO of Circuit Stream, said: "Our partnership with UCR helps us accelerate the growth of the XR market by raising the overall talent level through hands-on, technical education. We’ve seen demand globally for these skills and are confident the courses will bring value to learners in the L.A. region.”
- The curriculum will include courses such as XR development and XR Design.
- The focus is on Unity development skills for the XR industry.
- Admissions into the program do not require any prior skills or prerequisites. Upon completion, students will receive an "XR Developer or Designer Badge" from UCR and Circuit Stream.
Auganix
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 Virtual land has become a hot commodity, as sales have increased to $500M and are expected to double this year. BrandEssence market research predicts that metaverse real estate might rise 31% CAGR from 2022 to 2028. More: - Metaverse real estate sales reached $500M in 2021 and have the potential to double this year.
- Sales in virtual land skyrocketed to $133M in a month after Facebook rebranded to Meta.
- Despite the high sales volumes, experts note that it still remains a risky investment with no future guarantees.
- The top four metaverse platforms include The Sandbox, Decentraland, Cryptovoxels, and Somnium.
XR Today
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 Kobe Bryant's estate has filed three metaverse trademarks, which include "Kobe Bryant," "Mamba Forever," and "Mambacita," for digital assets in the virtual world. The trademarks were filed in efforts to protect the Kobe Bryant brand as it pertains to things in the metaverse. More: - The Bryant family has registered numerous digital items for trademarks, such as clothing, jewelry, avatars, emotes, toys, and trading cards, and this trend is likely to occur in the coming year as more celebrities and athletes seek legal protection over their brands.
- Other trademarks were filed by Kobe Inc., including footwear, apparel, and wine, among other things.
- The sports industry is starting to pay closer attention to the metaverse and digital assets.
- Last year, Nike opened Nikeland on the Roblox platform.
- In 2021, Nike also filed several trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, including words like "Nike," "Jordan," the "swoosh" logo, and the slogan "Just Do It."
- Overseas tech giants like Alibaba and Tencent have also filed trademark applications for metaverse-centric trademarks in China.
- It is uncertain how the use of trademarks in the real world will extend to the virtual world; however, developing a trademark protection strategy early on to secure brand protection is important.
Bloomberg
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 The Walt Disney Company is pushing forward into the metaverse, as indicated by its latest NFT and metaverse job postings. The description in the job postings hints at the company's grand plans for the virtual world. More: - Currently, there are four job openings that require expertise in NFTs and "knowledge of and passion for digital and NFT."
- Other postings might indicate a future of entertainment in the metaverse, including:
- "All social media and emerging technology partnerships" and lead DMG efforts for emerging technologies that also include "AR/VR, Filters, NFTs, Livestreams."
- The job openings are an indication that the company is looking at a future of immersive experiences within the metaverse.
WSJ
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 The airline industry has faced unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, from travel restrictions to canceled reservations as thousands of flights were grounded. Airports and airlines are seeking new AR/VR technology, and here is a list of changes that you will likely see in the future of travel. More: - Experiential retail coming to airports: Retailers located in airport terminals will bring AR and VR experiences to their stores, enabling travelers to virtually try on clothing and shoes.
- Heathrow Airport is now collaborating with Chanel, Dufry, and JCDecaux to launch a No. 5 Spaceship activation in the departure lounge at the terminal.
- E-commerce and super apps: Airlines are looking to offer e-commerce solutions.
- AirAsia has developed a unified e-commerce platform powered by technology and data that allows passengers to shop using their smart devices.
- The rise of urban air mobility: Air mobility is gaining a lot of traction from investors in the wake of COVID-19 travel restrictions.
- United Airlines ordered $1B worth of Archer's eVTOL aircraft. American Airlines and Virgin Atlantic formed a partnership with Vertical Airspace.
- Sustainability: Airlines are committed to reducing their environmental footprint.
- During the IATA 77th annual conference, the global air transport industry has committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
- Biometrics & Digital Identity: Since the pandemic, both the government agencies and the airline industry have continued to invest in advancing biometrics technology. The goal is to create a no-contact, safe, and seamless travel experience for passengers.
- Other changes that are coming to airports in the future include robots, contactless technology, digital twins, virtual queueing, and touchless experiences.
Future travel experience
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- A closer look at why Facebook has lost users over the last year and what this means for the company's future.
- The metaverse is an exciting topic, as most people are unsure what the future of digital reality will look like. Chinese companies are building avatars that resemble Chinese characters.
- Harassment in virtual reality is a serious concern, and it's not a problem that can be easily fixed using VR.
- Faith and prayer in the metaverse as more churches look to expand their service in virtual reality.
- Your money matters. Let's make more of it. Stocks are great, but there are many more options now. That's why we've been reading the Alts newsletter.*
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 |  | Gia Mattu is based in Calgary, Alberta. She is an entrepreneur with experience in climate technology, drones, AI, machine learning, and blockchain technology. When she's not working, she loves to hike the Canadian Rockies, try new cuisine, and travel. | | | | Editor | Aaron Crutchfield is based in the high desert of California. Over the last two decades, he has spent time writing and editing at various local newspapers and defense contractors in California. When he's not working, he can often be found looking at the latest memes with his kids or working on his 1962 Ford. | |
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