Tomas Jankauskas
10 Feb 2022
Metaverse is best described as an alternative world in the digital realm
The metaverse is a simulated digital environment that blends augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), blockchain, and social media principles to build areas for rich user interaction that resemble the actual world.
What Exactly Does "Metaverse" Mean?
Here's an experiment to help you understand how ambiguous and convoluted the word "the metaverse" may be: In a statement, mentally replace the words "the metaverse" with "cyberspace." The meaning will not vary much 90% of the time. That's because the phrase refers to a wide (and frequently hypothetical) shift in how humans engage with technology rather than a specific form of technology. And it's certainly feasible that the phrase itself may become obsolete as the technology it previously defined becomes more widespread.
Many organizations that have jumped on the metaverse bandwagon foresee a new digital economy in which users may produce, purchase, and sell items. In more utopian metaverse ideas, it's interoperable, enabling you to move virtual objects like clothing or vehicles from one platform to another, however this is more difficult than it seems. While some supporters argue that emerging technologies such as NFTs can enable movable digital assets, this is simply not true. Moving goods from one video game or virtual world to another is an incredibly difficult operation that no one firm can handle.
The Metaverse's Origins
While the name "metaverse" may be unfamiliar to some, the notion has been around for over three decades. The metaverse was first created by American science fiction novelist Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel Snow Crash. In the novel (like in others of its type), people use the metaverse to escape from a dismal future reality.
Over the last 30 years, the industry has built a nonfictional metaverse brick by brick. Virtual reality headsets are becoming more comfortable and inexpensive. Global internet penetration has been constantly increasing. The popularity of online gaming, which frequently reaches tournament levels, has enabled the creation and execution of complex digital avatars, transferable digital goods, and even digital real estate.