“Metaverse” is an unknown word to some, but it promises to revolutionize our lives by merging the physical and virtual worlds.
What is Metaverse?
This is the question most asked by those who don’t know or don’t understand what this world is. The Metaverse intends to reproduce reality on digital platforms, the goal is that in a few years people will be able to work, socialize and shop digitally, hiding behind 3D avatars.
In a simpler way, this concept is a virtual game where we will all be real characters.
A concept that originated in science fiction?
In fact, the concept of the “Metaverse” seems like something quite technological invented during this Digital Age we live in, however, the idea of a parallel world with the existence of avatars appeared in the world of literature in the 1980s. The writer William Gibson, in his book “Neuromante” already described a “cyberspace” where there was a digital world that could only be entered through a specific terminal. In the year 1992, the word “Metaverse” appeared for the first time in the novel “Snow Crash” by Neal Stephenson, the book talked about a 3D virtual world inhabited by avatars of real people.
Will the Metaverse work?
Right now there are still some technologies that need to be developed for the Metaverse to become real, plus the virtual reality glasses, which will be necessary for us to access our digital life, still have a monetary value that is not within everyone’s reach. Furthermore, many people are not very receptive to experience this technological advance due to the numerous new features that will be integrated into this world.
How can Metaverse transform our lives?
Metaverse enthusiasts believe that it will transform and improve our lives in several aspects, such as:
- Work – The pandemic made us realize that we can work and hold meetings remotely, the metaverse intends to explore this idea more and more, making people able to work and interact from home, in a fully virtual space.
- Education – A virtual education experience could provide a more dynamic learning experience. The biggest breakthrough is expected to happen in medicine, where students will be able to study the human body with 3D holograms.
- Entertainment – It is in the entertainment area that big bets have already been made. Movies, series, concerts, games, and commercialization of works of art in the digital world is already starting to be possible. Travis Scott, Ariana Grande and Marshmello are some artists who have already performed virtual concerts. Virtual artworks are referred to as “NFT”, which are unique digital assets acquired by people through cryptocurrencies (digital currencies) and have seen exponential growth.
- Economy – More and more brands and companies want to bet on business in the metaverse, because they believe that a 100% digital economy can be built, with transactions of assets, such as land, art, real estate and services. Many brands have already started to produce NFT’s that are being commercialized, this is the case of clothing and footwear brands such as Adidas, Nike, Vans and Gucci, which have launched digital collections.
Despite the advantages that the Metaverse can present, this is a concept that is still hard to imagine fully realized because of the dangers that can exist, the main one being the possibility of people losing their sense of reality.
It is only a matter of time before the Metaverse starts to become a reality that we will have to live with, but is this the ideal world for humanity?