Why the Metaverse Matters: Major Opportunities and Challenges

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Virtual Reality has been in the news recently. With the recent launch of Oculus Rift, VR has also come to the attention of many tech-savvy gamers. Many implications could come from this development. One that has often been overlooked is the creation of virtual spaces shared by people worldwide—known as the metaverse. It could potentially change how we interact with each other. The creation of this new space will require overcoming numerous technical and social challenges. However, overcoming them will revolutionize how we experience social media and communicate with each other in general. What is the Metaverse? We can define the Metaverse as “beyond the universe”. For specialists, the Metaverse could well be the continuation of the Internet. However, it is a new version of the internet that is more advanced and immersive than we currently know. The Metaverse is a parallel world comprising a virtual environment where all users connect with 3D characters. It is a true extension of our real world which we can enter by creating our avatar (fictional or realistic). So therefore, it can achieve everything we can do in everyday life.  However, you should note a major difference. The real world is full of constraints (geographical, financial, physical, psychological). However, the only limitation to this virtual universe would only be those of our imagination. The History of the Metaverse  In his book entitled “The Virtual Samurai,” dating from 1992, Neal Stephenson invented the term Metaverse. He defined it as the virtual space his characters can go. This novel reported an apocalyptic world in which a very rich entrepreneur decided to build a parallel world to control the minds of its users.  For some observers, this science fiction book would have been the main source of inspiration for the Metaverse project. Such an example is Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook. The film and gaming industries have also widely exploited this virtual world concept. This is particularly the case in the film “Ready Player One” by Steven Spielberg and “Matrix” by the Duo Wachowski, or even the first virtual world video game, Second Life. However, what changes with the Metaverse is that you are no longer a spectator of such content. Here, you are the main actor, and you can interact with other people to carry out all kinds of activities! The Focus of Microsoft, Facebook, and Google on Augmented Reality In Microsoft’s vision of a mixed reality world, your physical surroundings seamlessly blend with your digital content. Rather than rely on devices to provide augmented or virtual reality experiences, these companies are looking to build support for their services into modern operating systems. Apple has also been looking at augmented reality as part of its ongoing effort to design an AR headset that it could sell to consumers. In 2017, it acquired a startup called Vrvana. They developed a mixed-reality headset called Totem that features VR and AR capabilities. Facebook is working on something similar. Facebook Reality Labs (FRL) chief scientist, Michael Abrash, leads their AR efforts and develops technology that will allow users to overlay 3D objects onto real-world environments captured by cameras. Google takes a slightly different approach by focusing on so-called augmented reality rather than mixed reality. The company’s strategy centers around making smartphone cameras smarter. So with that, they can identify objects and places around you without connecting to any other device. What Philosophy does the Metaverse Advocate? As a major digital innovation of the 21st century, the Metaverse is full of promise. The Metaverse wants to offer a new vision of the world articulated around different issues, including the following: Connecting the real and virtual worlds for the first time Creating interconnection between everyone, without geographical limits or borders Removing cognitive biases, fear, shyness, and psychological boundaries Proposing a hedonistic approach to the world, favorable to epicurean profiles, for whom everything would finally be possible The Metaverse as the Future of Digital Technology  If the internet has revolutionized our lives in recent decades, it has also undergone profound changes to become more complete and essential. We first knew the informative web, also called web 1.0, mainly built around searching for information through Internet access.  The participatory web, or web 2.0, then appeared. Its aim was to connect people with the birth of social networks and online commerce. The Metaverse now proposes to enter a new era: the intelligent web and the unique convergence of the real and the virtual. Katy Hackl, futuristic speaker and expert in Metaverse strategy, explains: “After connecting information with Internet access, then connecting people through social media, the Metaverse will establish itself as the web 3.0 by connecting the physical world and the digital world.” Some Opportunities that the Metaverse Offers? Everything that is done in the real world will be able to be done in the … Continued

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