3 Things To Know About The Metaverse
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Virtual reality is poised to blend more closely with reality in the near future, thanks to rapid technological developments. Increasingly, the world is transitioning to a virtual reality where one would be able to have an online experience that incorporates augmented reality, holographic avatars, videos, and a wide range of other opportunities which would only unfold with time.
In October 2021, Facebook made its attempt towards the same and announced it would rebrand itself as Meta Platforms Inc. (Meta for short) — an early attempt to capitalize on what will be the inevitable future of human connectivity- The Metaverse.
1. What is The Metaverse?
A successor to the mobile internet, Metaverse is envisioned as the successor to today’s internet where people can do anything — from shopping to studying to attending meetings. It will work on the principles of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Artificial Intelligence (AI). In the Metaverse, you’ll be living the internet via connected headsets, glasses, or other wearable devices.
Metaverse is a virtual world similar to the physical world, but it is not limited to one virtual universe. It will be the ultimate virtual universe, in which everyone and anyone can be their own digital self (i.e. avatar). And in the near future, our physical reality will merge with the digital world.
2. Overview of the Metaverse
Since it is the fusion of virtual and real worlds, the Metaverse attempts to feel you are in a virtual space through virtual and augmented reality, collectively called mixed reality. Through this, a person can interact with virtual and real-world objects, and virtual objects can interact with real-world ones. It sounds exciting and adventurous.
The Metaverse will be easily interoperable. This means you can travel from one virtual space to another seamlessly without creating various digital avatars.
Through NFTs (non-fungible tokens), the Metaverse will allow proof of ownership of digital assets, for example, virtual goods, paintings, and memorabilia.
3. Why are we talking about it now?
Currently, individuals communicate online by using social media platforms or messaging apps. The metaverse is intended to create new online spaces where people can interact more multidimensionally. People will naturally be intrigued by such a concept.
We live in a world of Web 2.0, which is centralized and largely controlled by the tech giants such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, and others. The Metaverse will be a part of web 3.0, the next generation of internet architecture. Web 3.0 will use blockchains and tokens for any online interaction and payments, thus decentralizing the whole internet system.
The Metaverse will create new online spaces where people’s interactions can be more multi-dimensional.
As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in the metaverse has accelerated. There has been an increase in the demand for ways to make online interaction more lifelike as more people work and go to school remotely. And the Metaverse is aiming for just that.
It’s a way forward
The Metaverse can undoubtedly be considered the beginning of the digital revolution. However, while merging virtual reality with social networking is seen as the first step, we do not know how far this can take humanity.
One thing is for sure, the Metaverse is being constructed brick by brick, and everyone will have a hand in its creation. And though it may not be sooner, Metaverse is sure to become a part of our lives just as the internet is today.
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