THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY: The Metaverse

What is the Metaverse?

The Metaverse (put simply) is a digital world in which you can do almost anything. With a pair of VR headsets and internet access, the Metaverse aims to be a “second-world” for us, enhancing our experience with the internet within our daily lives. It really is the second-generation of the internet that delivers us a sense of interconnection and inclusion that can’t be felt through mobile screens. You can interact with anyone you like within digital spaces, no matter your location. The Metaverse is an embodied internet, where the perception of co-presence and physical connection is indefinitely stronger when online. An easier way to grasp this idea would be looking into the digital world of “READY-PLAYER-ONE” (A film and book series), as this is exactly what the Metaverse attempts to create within our society today. If you know about this fictitious world, you can fully visualise what the Metaverse might become.

This amazing advancement is currently still in the building process and hasn't delivered it's final product yet. However, the Metaverse has a few different groups trying to bring it to life. We have the Meta company from Facebook that plans to bring these concepts to life, however, we also have the Roblox Corporation attempting to create their own version of the 'Metaverse idea.'

I know this might be a lot to take in, but hang on with me. This read might be exactly what you needed to fully realize what the Metaverse promises our future is going to look like. VR Glasses, high-tech sensors, realistic avatar, holograms and even programmed smells!

What does this mean for our world? What problems can be solved?

The Metaverse will make a pathway for a huge change within our lives, even after the pandemic. It is quite destined to revolutionize communication and interaction with others over the internet. However, even with such positives, these innovative ideas is bound to create problems as well. For now, let's focus on the positives.

With this application, people can expect to make friends online, properly talk to family abroad and never be misunderstood within a conversation online. The Metaverse is trying to create an application in such a way that the body language, facial expressions and tone in voice will all be available to view, therefore, attempting to create a stronger sense of co-presence. With that being said, let’s briefly go over the various aspects of our life that the Metaverse will impact.

Ways the Metaverse will impact our lives:

• Creating a more immersive platform to enjoy entertainment on (Gaming, Films, Music and Videos)

• We will start seeing the Metaverse used in primary education in order to help explain concepts or engage the learners in interactive activities
• People can start receiving higher education from anywhere in the world. (EG: Training Surgeons using the Metaverse to practice and learn surgery procedures.)

• The way in which people attend their workplace will also change. For many (due to the pandemic) working from home has become second-nature and we are expecting this trend to continue into our futures. The Metaverse then is supposed to help us conduct meetings, create 3D designs for projects and have a more interconnected workspace from the comfort of our homes.
• Online businesses, influencers and advertisements will also thrive differently through the Metaverse. We will start seeing online pop-up stores, advertisements that allow you to interact and immerse yourselves in them.
• Speaking of commerce, online shopping will also revolutionize and evolve within our lives. We will be seeing a lot of digital shopping centers in which stores will be interactive and somewhat realistic. Purchasing these items might be done through cryptocurrency or currency of where you are. Developments on clothing textures, interactions and even smell are still being conducted in order to make the shopping experience more immersive.

• The connections we make online with people will also steadily get more personal and as though they are a real person. Often, people express that they don’t feel or realize that the person they might be texting is a REAL person with feelings. The Metaverse claims to change that, by creating digital spaces where you can truly feel the co-presence of whom you are talking with.
• The way we access healthcare within daily life will also be changed, thanks to the Metaverse. The Metaverse imagines healthcare to have 2 sides: in person and online. We can consult with our doctors online about mental health or other minor issues you might be having, however, still be going to in person service as well.

These are all just some of the MANY ways in which the Metaverse is truly going to change our lives in the future. Although it might not be completed yet, you can still access it on certain platforms. Even though there is a clear mixed reaction from the general public on this idea, I don't think it will hurt to learn a bit about it anyway. I highly encourage you, reader, to start looking more into the Metaverse as a whole (I recommend the Coursera course “What is the Metaverse?” for a real, in depth insight into what might be our fast approaching future.)

So, what are your thoughts? Do you believe that the Metaverse will work or fail? Is it truly what it claims to be? Please, share your thoughts respectfully in the comments :)