“[Computing] a virtual-reality space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users” (Oxford English Dictionary) The idea behind the "Metaverse" is: wear a pair of glasses/viewer and find yourself in a 3D environment. A basic application is virtual technical interventions. But development will be social: deciding what to do in 3D, who to meet, what to buy and much more. Nike has already set up its own "Metaverse" - called "Nikeland" - within a platform called "Roblox".
There is a lot, a lot of talk about it.
The term was first coined in the 1992 cyberpunk novel by American author Neal Stephenson, "Snow Crash". In the book, the protagonist is a hacker able to jump between a dystopian Los Angeles and the so-called "Metaverse", a virtual world in which avatars interact.
To some extent, talking about what "the Metaverse" means is a bit like discussing what "internet" means in the 70s. The building blocks of a new form of communication were under construction, but no one could really know what reality would be like. So while it was true, at the time, that "the Internet" was coming, not all ideas about what it would be like were true. [Wired]
The less "hipe" ones still call it "cyberspace." In general, the technologies that make up the "Metaverse" may include virtual reality, as well as augmented reality that combines aspects of the digital and physical world.
The "Metaverse" is already a new arena in which "Big Tech" and startups will try to compete as much as possible for control of this "New World". Just look at the recent rebranding of Facebook in Meta. Microsoft, Google, Apple and others are rushing headlong into the neobusiness of the century.
Of course, swathes of other big brands are joining the race to build their own, using existing online gaming platforms as a gateway.
"Nike", for example, has already set up its own "Metaverse" - called "Nikeland" - within a platform called "Roblox".
The fictional city in the metaverse is called Nikeland and the protagonists are 3D characters wearing Nike overalls, shoes and caps.
The idea behind the "Metaverse" is this: you wear a pair of glasses or a viewer and you find yourself immersed in a huge 3D environment where you decide what to do, who to meet, what to buy and much more.
The "Metaverse" would therefore be a virtual world that can be explored by interacting with real elements, or a new way of living real experiences with the support of technology.
Try to think about your daily routine: work, meetings, lunches, shopping etc.
In the long run, the idea is that you could move from one brand's "Metaverse" to another. How metaverses will connect is still a mystery: about 31 years after the launch of the "World Wide Web" to the general public, it is unclear whether the "Metaverse" will enjoy the same rise as the Internet.
