A metaverse is a collective digital experience that can be shared by multiple individuals at once. While the definition might seem simple, the potential is off the charts.
The latest episode of Anstandig on the Future gears up to explore the metaverse, and the results are an exciting blend of social, business, and play potential.
For an idea that traces its name back to science fiction, there’s an undeniable amount of very real effects that the metaverse could have on daily life if the idea comes to fruition. That’s why Mark Zuckerberg recently called Facebook “a metaverse company” and why Epic Games announced a $1 billion funding round “to Support Epic’s Long-Term Vision for the Metaverse.”
In this post, let’s take a look at a few ways the metaverse could impact how we socialize, do business, and even play. For more, be sure to listen to the episode of Anstandig on the Future.
Business potential of the metaverse
While the pandemic was devasting in many ways, it also accelerated our drive toward a more digital future. The business potential of the metaverse is the next logical step.
Now, as you sign up for almost any event, you’ll see the “virtual option.” The metaverse will present that, but instead of watching the business conference on our computer screens, we’ll experience it in virtual reality.
Imagine a world where we all strap on Facebook’s Oculus Quest VR headsets and sit in a board meeting in which we’re all in the same virtual room, interacting with avatars of our peers and even our own computers screens. We could be doing this from anywhere in the world, and when that becomes the possibility, new frontiers of work and commerce will be unlocked, too. We’ll have new jobs, new opportunities, and a new way to look at “business.”
It might just be sooner than you think, too.
Socializing potential of the metaverse
The metaverse will also affect the way we socialize—and this doesn’t just mean how you interact with your friends and neighbors.
For one, a metaverse will connect us on a much wider network so that we will be able to virtually meet people from all around the world. Connectivity will increase as the internet shrinks distance.
Consider the ability to attend a conference, concert, or even a dance with people from all around the world and being able to interact with them face-to-face, thanks to our avatars. Social circles could grow tremendously.
Ownership will change, too. Presumably, the metaverse will have its own digital currency, and “owning” something in the metaverse will point back to conversations about cryptocurrency and NFT’s. When assets become less physical, we’ll have new ways to think about what we value.
Play potential of the metaverse
Most people think of the metaverse, in its current form, as a game-like reality. There’s a lot of truth to that—currently, it is.
The best active example of the metaverse is Epic Games’ Fortnite, where there are tons of avatars piloted by real people, and they converge and play together in a virtual world.
As the metaverse becomes more subversive, meaning more virtual reality and fewer screens, the play potential will increase, too. While four friends can play Fortnite from four different countries today, there’s potential for a future where four friends can go inside a game with astonishing virtual avatars of themselves to play sports, video games, or even just hang out.
While the business and social ramifications are important, we can’t ever forget our need for play, too!
Ready to explore the metaverse?
The metaverse could be a disruptive technology in a whole new way, changing the way we live our lives, work our jobs, socialize and play.
But the potential alone is enough to get me giddy with excitement.
If this post piqued your interest, you should listen to the full episode of Anstandig on the Future. In the episode, I discuss everything from the history of the idea to the technology needed to make it come to life.
Whether you’re listening while washing dishes, driving to work, or perhaps while entering your own metaverse on Fortnite, this is an episode you need to hear!
