But what is the metaverse?
The word is taken from a science fiction novel from the 90s. The title of this work is Snow Crash, by the author Neal Stephenson. In this work, the main character connects to the metaverse, a virtual reality world with avatars that explore this digital universe and allow them to escape from a dystopian reality.
In the work, the metaverse is described as an effort at collective interaction that escapes the control of just one individual. Leaving aside the dystopian reality of the novel, the description is close to what the technology firms have outlined in each of their metaverse projects.
Although there is still no clear definition to define the metaverse, what most of the technological projects and analyzes on this subject agree on is that the metaverse emerges as a virtual world that converges with physical reality and where you can interact with a community, work, transact, attend shows, take the dog out, walk, among other activities. In this multiverse, the physical and virtual worlds interact with each other. “You will be able to take your objects and project them in the physical world as augmented reality holograms as well,” Zuckerberg explained in a video released last October to explain his foray into the metaverse.
If there is any close connection to the metaverse, it would be that of a massively multiplayer online video game. Perhaps one of the most noisy and remembered examples was the one launched by Fortnite: the Rift Tour concert by singer Ariana Grande. Just like in the multiverse, people in this type of video game have an avatar and buy items for the virtual world that is not scripted.
But one of the key points that differentiates the metaverse from this type of virtual reality in video games is that there is no centralization, or at least that is what its creators propose. “There is not one virtual world, but many worlds, taking shape to allow people to deepen and extend digital social interactions. This is done by adding an immersive, three-dimensional layer to the web, creating a more authentic and natural experience,” Onyx, a JP Morgan-owned blockchain firm, said in a report, referring to the metaverse’s interaction with web3, a platform which is viewed as decentralized.
For enthusiasts, techies, and other innovators, it’s only a matter of time before the three-dimensional network overtakes the two-dimensional one that the internet currently runs on. But as eToro mentions in a report, the metaverse “will require more processing power and bandwidth, as well as improvements in headphones, glasses and smartphones.”