Opinion

Is Metaverse the New internet?

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Is Metaverse the New internet?

Photo : Sandip Kalal on Unsplash

"A metaverse corporation" is what Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has promised to develop his firm into in the next five years or so. A "next-generation" internet is what he views it as. Earlier this year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg aimed to spend at least $10 billion this year and rename the firm to move the company's emphasis in that direction.

As of now, the name of the company has changed to Meta and has already become the talk of the town for a variety of reasons. A lot of big companies are already jumping in to become part of a promising future that is basically all virtual. But what is Metaverse all about and is it really the New Internet as Mark has claimed? Well, let's find out:

What is Metaverse?

Ready Player One and other science fiction novels and films take place in a metaverse, a digital realm that is indistinguishable from the actual world. Virtual reality, online gaming, augmented reality, and cryptocurrency are combined to create the Metaverse, a communal virtual sharing environment that allows users to engage digitally.

In order to enhance the user's experience, augmented reality overlays digital media such as video, audio, and other senses on top of real-world environments. As a comparison, virtual reality only exists in the virtual world and enhances the fictitious. Digital worlds are a part of a shared fictional universe.

To put it another way: The metaverse is a virtual-reality arena that encompasses and combines everything from markets to cities to nations to the whole world. In the game industry, virtual reality is most often used via wearing a virtual reality headset. Players are able to engage with one another and their avatars in the virtual world. The metaverse, on the other hand, is expected to widen the scope of online engagement and allow for more complex interactions.

I like to think of it as Roblox, where instead of you just controling a bunch of box-heads with your keyboard or mouse, you get to live as them through the virtual eyes (VR devices). And instead of simply just pulling random pranks and doing fun stuff in the game, you can also buy and sell lands, even Roblox items as NFTs and with that you can dive into other games that are on Gamecamp and just be a total show off in the virtual world, you get the point, right?

Is Metaverse the New Internet?

For the sake of this discussion, let's say that the metaverse is a vast network of interconnected virtual worlds in which individuals may communicate with one another. A number of companies, including Meta Platforms Inc., previously known as Facebook Inc., have stated their intention to provide metaverse experiences, services, and hardware. Snow Crash" and "Ready Player One" are examples of science fiction books that inspired the metaverse notion.

A fossil-fuel crisis and climate change have wrecked the real world, and the metaverse is a refuge. People would be able to witness a UFC bout from any viewpoint, even from the perspective of the combatant, in the metaverse that tech firms want to establish. It would also be feasible to do previously unthinkable feats, such as walking on the moon. There are already some metaverse-like experiences out there. "Fortnite" and Roblox Corp. have sponsored virtual concerts with performers like Ariana Grande, as well as other immersive activities.

In the future, individuals will be able to do nearly everything in the metaverse: shop, go to school, participate in business meetings, and so on. Metaverse platforms built by tech titans and video game developers have a variety of various components. Most people believe that the internet will not be controlled by a single firm in the future. Unity Software Inc., Nvidia Corp., Microsoft Corp., and Meta are among the businesses creating hardware and software for the metaverse. For the first time ever, Facebook has called itself Meta. For those who want a more immersive experience, virtual-reality headsets allow users to view solely the virtual environment. Users may see virtual things in their vision of the actual world when they utilize augmented reality.

It is Meta that carries Oculus headsets, while Microsoft and Snap Inc. are selling augmented and virtual reality eyewear for consumers and companies. The metaverse is becoming a lot more accessible. Experts believe that video games will be the best way to get to the metaverse since the platforms are already in place, making it simpler to evolve. Gucci's 100th anniversary was celebrated at a virtual event hosted by Roblox. The Sims, a computer game released in 2000, and Second Life, an online game released in 2003 are examples of early metaverses. Avatars are controlled by humans in a virtual environment in both.

Still a Long way to GO!

It sounds amazing and out of this world and with the speed at which crypto has spread throughout the world, we truly think that Metaverse might just become the new internet of the world in the near future. And while it all sounds amazing on paper, there still are a lot of issues that Meta has to face before common people like us can have access to it with ease.

Metaverse privacy and security is an issue for some experts. Users' mental health and the possibility for individuals to choose virtual reality over the real world and overlook their actual needs are some of the concerns voiced by some. In order to build a full-fledged metaverse, it will take a lot of money. Analysts estimate that it will be a decade before this becomes a reality due to technological issues, such as sluggish internet latency.

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