The metaverse concept has been around since its inception in 1992. The person behind the idea is Neal Stephenson who developed it.
He is the writer of the popular science fiction novel, Snow Crash. In the novel, a character by the name of Hiro delivers Pizza for Uncle Enzo in reality.
However, in the metaverse, he is a warrior prince going after hackers that use a computer virus to cause a possible infocalypse.
Neal Stephenson thought about the metaverse idea by coining it for his science fiction novel.
You might not have heard about the metaverse because it is not until recently that tech companies have started to actively talk about and invest their time and resources in the creation of a metaverse.
Once it has been developed and implemented, the metaverse will affect many sectors of the economy and the daily activities of individuals.
Some of the sectors that will be affected include socializing, entertainment, business, education medicine, and transport.
These are just amongst the few sectors. It is unlimited on the potential it can have to the way of living as it is.
What is the metaverse?
A metaverse is generally a digital space that can be accessed through technologies like virtual reality.
Currently, individuals can only use virtual reality to access the metaverse. The current available technology does not allow for the revealing of the digital platform in 3D format.
However, it is a space that tech companies foresee integrating into.
Tech companies envision that the metaverse will be a platform that will be used for many functions besides socializing.
Some of the functions that the platform will be used for inclusion and are limited to:
- Attending office meetings while in different geographical locations.
- Going to concerts while still at home
- Watching films in a movie theatre while at home.
- Taking trips online to various places.
- Buying and trying digital clothing.
The buzz around the metaverse
The virtual reality of the metaverse is a buzzing community with various activities and opportunities.
You enter into this world whenever you want and do whatever they wish. You can hang out remotely, create art, consume art, shop items, and play games.
It is pretty much just like the internet. However, invested firms have a vision of developing a life-like digital platform in the future.
To achieve this, such companies have committed their resources to create technologies like Augmenting Reality (AR) and Extreme Reality (XR) that project the virtual realm in the real world.
Stakeholders of the Metaverse
The tech world is now buzzing with talks about the metaverse since it is the future replacement for the internet.
Facebook is among the several companies that have already started investing in the creation of their own digital platform.
Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced the change of their name to Meta Platform Inc. as an act to show their devoted commitment to the creation of a metaverse platform.
At the moment, Facebook has already started circulating its Oculus VR headsets and it is developing AR glasses. In addition to that, the company has invested $50 million into the project.
Zuckerberg also stated that they foresee a profitable future from the metaverse business. Besides that, Facebook can also use the platform to project ads and rake a sizeable income.
During the conference, Mark indicated that they would need to employ 10,000 Europeans who would build and develop apps and products which will be used on the metaverse to make it look more similar to the real world.
Besides Facebook, other players in the technology world are also invested in developing a metaverse too.
Due to this, Facebook’s CEO stated that they are willing to work with all the other companies in developing one metaverse.
Gaming companies like Epic Games and Roblox game platforms have both made efforts towards achieving their long-term vision of creating a metaverse. Microsoft, Nvidia, and Internet Service Providers are the other stakeholders who are partaking in the development of a metaverse.
Nvidia’s CEO has mentioned that they are developing an Omniverse platform that enables individuals to teleport from one geographical location to another.
Since several companies are developing a digital platform, individuals will be able to go anywhere in the universe no matter the location using any platform at their disposal.
The Internet Service Providers (ISP) play their part by providing stable and fast internet.
Service providers are putting in place infrastructure that will help with the transmission of a 5G network.
The 5G networks have high bandwidth and low latency which means one’s internet connection will be strong and fast. It will greatly assist in the development of the metaverse globally.