Metaverse-The Future of Virtual Reality

Metaverse -The Future of (Virtual) Reality

"Metaverse" is the latest buzzword to capture the tech industry's imagination — so much so that, ‘Facebook’, one of the best-known internet platforms is rebranding to signal its embrace of the futuristic idea.

Mark Zuckerberg has recently announced that he's changing his company's name to Meta Platforms Inc., or Meta for short. Simply put, Metaverse is a virtual world that is expected to redefine the social interactions as we know it. The definition of ‘social interactions’ does not limit to the interactions outside of work. Infact , it includes everything from Social networking, entertainment, gaming, work, commerce, education and more. But, why do you need to care about the metaverse? Everything is digital or going to be digital soon. Our friends, jobs, identity. Fortnite skins are the new skinny jeans. If all of us are eventually going to hang out online (I Hope not !) all the time, then our flexes would need to be digital. The metaverse is going to make everything more extreme. The metaverse is not just about the metaverse. It's about how the shift the world is going to see in terms of technology. Cryptos, Web 3.0, NFT’s are the new shifts and are interconnected. But, I digress. Let's get back to Metaverse and how it is going to change the world as we know it.

The following is a breakdown of the aspects the Metaverse is focusing on:

1. Social connections: From neighbors to followers, we have seen a shift in our social relationships. We can interact and find like minded people not just in the physical world but on Twitter, Reddit, facebook and other such platforms. Filters are our new makeup and stories are our personal billboard to broadcast who we are. What matters more? The way we look in real life? or on instagram?

2. Entertainment: We can virtually be part of concerts or share our living room and experiences with our friends.

3. Gaming : More kids play fortnite than basketball & football combined. This is not to say physical activity is of low importance but to draw attention to the reality and the changes we are continuing to witness. Metaverse is chess.com, minecraft and other games and gaming systems rolled into one.

4. Fitness : The smartwatches in the market already monitor a lot of the body parameters. Metaverse is going to be our fitness consultant, coach, physician. As with everything in the Metaverse, it's going to be an immersive or intrusive experience for the user.

5. Work : From factories to laptops, boardrooms to zoom meeting rooms, we have come a long way in the way work is perceived. The Metaverse is going to take it to the next level and bring office home or vice versa.

6. Education : This is not just about accessing your college education through your laptop or completing graduation by attending classes virtually . Metaverse aims to make it an immersive experience. It's the equivalent of swimming with the fish in the ocean to study them, being at the centre of the universe to study astrophysics.

7. Commerce : As Mr. Zuckerberg himself mentions, building products is not enough, they also need to build ecosystems and platforms to help the creator economy. Metaverse aims to address the high platform fees that are stifling the creator economy and innovation.

But, Is the world ready for the metaverse? Or, Do we need it in the first place?

Some fear, the Metaverse that ‘The big tech’ obsesses over, will alienate the human beings further. The Metaverse will accelerate all existing Web 2.0 social issues. It will lead to a rise in the feeling of disconnection and loneliness, which will exacerbate social issues facing the world today. There would be a growing divide between real world self and digital self. These identities will increasingly separate into distinct dualities. We will have two different personalities going about their online and offline interactions. Eventually, more tech advancements require more psychology professionals to deal with the resulting mental issues that the society is expected to face. Data experts are already concerned about the privacy implications that the metaverse could have. Mocking ‘Metaverse’, Iceland have launched their own ‘Icelandverse’ where everything is real.