Luis Herrera
Mar 30, 22 | 14 min read
What is the metaverse
Reading time: 12 minutes
Those who thought that a virtual universe was far away from today may now be in for a surprise. Interactions with robots, machines that are smarter than humans, virtual realities and immersive digital experiences are all part of the metaverse, a future that has already arrived.
The concept of the metaverse has been around for a while, but it entered social media conversations, news stories and even family lunches after Mark Zuckerberg announced the name change of Facebook Inc. to Meta, betting on a future in which digital life will surpass the physical experience.
Although the topic is still abstract for many tonga email address people, the metaverse is already there, and many companies are already investing in it. If you too want to participate in this new virtual universe and think about digital marketing strategies in this context, we will now explain everything about the metaverse and how to invest in it. Keep reading!
What is the metaverse?
The metaverse is a virtual universe that uses virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence and internet connectivity technologies to create an immersive digital reality.
The concept is still highly debated and under construction, as are its practical applications. But it is possible to visualize the possibilities of the metaverse by thinking of the universe of digital games, which allow players to interact with virtual realities as if they were living in them.
However, the metaverse encompasses much more than just gaming entertainment. It is possible to think of all spheres of life in the metaverse, such as banking transactions, classes at school, company meetings, family gatherings, shopping at the mall, and much more.
There is no shortage of experts these days who share their views on the metaverse and say that everyone is wrong about the subject.
Gartner provides an interesting conceptualization of the metaverse as a collective virtual space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical and digital reality, that is device-agnostic and does not belong to a single vendor.
Another interesting take on the metaverse that has gone viral on the Internet was provided by Shaan Puri in a Twitter thread . The entrepreneur wondered: what if the metaverse is not a place, as everyone thinks, but a time?
In his vision, the metaverse would be a time when our digital lives are worth more than our physical lives. This is not an overnight change, but a construction that takes decades and we are already living it.
Stop and take a look: we are already living this new reality, although not yet fully realized. According to a Squarespace survey , 60% of Gen Z and 62% of Millennials think that the way you present yourself online is more important than the way you present yourself in person. This already gives you an idea of the transformation we are experiencing.
Furthermore, driven by the Coronavirus pandemic, digital experiences have taken over our lives: in Zoom meetings, singers' lives and WhatsApp audios, for example.
However, experiences in the metaverse go far beyond the laptop or smartphone screen. New devices already allow people to interact with virtual realities as if they were living inside them, through their virtual avatars. Currently, smart glasses play this role, but technologies can still evolve a lot.
How did this concept come about?
In 2021, Mark Zuckerberg announced the rebranding of his company: Facebook Inc. would be renamed Meta, in reference to the metaverse, the future that Zuck wants to build.
This announcement put the term “metaverse” into everyone’s conversations, even turning it into a meme. After all, everyone wanted to know what that meant. But while it may seem like Facebook is creating the metaverse, this concept has been around for a long time.
The term is believed to have first been used in the 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash, in which people interact as programmable avatars in a three-dimensional virtual space. However, in this case, the metaverse is a violent dystopia – an idea we probably wouldn’t want to pursue…
Although the term did not catch on at the time, the idea inspired other books, movies, and games. Today, when people talk about the metaverse, many are referring to the game Second Life, created in 2003, which is said to be the first metaverse. On that platform, people could interact with their avatars in 3D virtual worlds, as if they had a "second life."
In recent years, gaming platforms – Roblox, Minecraft and Fortnite – have pushed the concept of the metaverse even further, even before Facebook’s announcement. In addition, increasingly common virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) devices tend to introduce the metaverse into people’s everyday lives in no time.
