A Trend to Watch
In 2021, the term “metaverse” gained worldwide attention as Facebook rebranded to “Meta”. The name reflects its ambition to build a metaverse, a social network elevated to that of 3-D virtual worlds.
But metaverse isn’t a new word – it was coined by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 dystopian sci-fi novel Snow Crash, which explored the concept of a virtual reality world.
Typically, the Internet is viewed through the screens of our devices. The idea of a metaverse takes this a step further to be an Internet with a tangible living experience.
Envisioned as the next evolution of the Internet, the metaverse lets users appear as customisable avatars, who can teleport from one virtual world to another. With the help of extended reality technologies, our living realities would be enmeshed with digital realities.
For a 360-viewing experience in the metaverse, virtual reality headsets or augmented reality glasses should be donned. However, these items pose a barrier to entry due to hefty price tags and the discomfort experienced after prolonged usage.
Nonetheless, smartphones and laptops can be used to access metaverse platforms like Decentraland and Roblox. Several public officers are already attending online courses about the metaverse.
As the appetite for the metaverse grows, big brands like Gucci and Balenciaga have already established their presence in it by offering their signature products in virtual form. It is predicted that 30% of organisations in the world will have products and services available for the metaverse by 2026.