What Would It Be Like To Interact In The Metaverse?
Here’s a thought. Instead of attending meetings where you interact with people on grids, what if you could actually share a virtual common space and feel like you are sitting next to the person you are having a discussion with?
When the Metaverse becomes a reality, this could happen for real.
While the term 'Metaverse' made its way into books in 1992 in Neal Stephenson's book 'Snow Crash' and into movies in 2018 in a sci-fi movie 'Ready Player One', Metaverse is still a work in progress.
But with reputed brands constantly working towards it, including the social media giant Facebook who aims to be known as a Metaverse company, it's a good time to understand what could possibly change based on the current perceptions of the Metaverse.
Source: The Free Press Journal
Matthew Ball, a venture capitalist and prolific essayist, defines the Metaverse as the mobile internet's successor. There won't be 'before Metaverse' or 'after Metaverse' phases. It will be an eventual progression when different products, services, and capabilities blend together.
In simple terms, in the Metaverse, you will be in the virtual environment rather than just looking at it. It will be a cyberspace where your avatars can co-exist with others' and transition from one space to another seamlessly. Mark Zuckerberg said, Metaverse could be the next best thing to a working teleportation device. Mr. Tim Sweeney, chief executive of Epic Games also responded a yes when he was asked whether there would come a time when a virtual tunnel could connect people from Roblox to Fortnite and other games. To work and still be away from the urban cities, to get access to education and eliminate the geographical location barriers, everything could be possible in the Metaverse.
Source: The Economic Times
A Global Glimpse Of The Metaverse:
Ralph Lauren, for the first time ever, is selling their digital apparel on Zepeto, the South Korean social network, which is also Asia-Pacific’s largest metaverse market. Avatars have access to their virtual clothing line, in the backdrop of virtual versions of New York’s iconic locations, along with Ralph’s Coffee!
Source: Forbes
The free AR app by Spatial which allows you to introduce avatars in a real world environment.
Mark Zuckerberg said, Facebook entering the Metaverse is a natural progression as it will allow people to move between virtual reality, augmented reality, personal computers, and traditional smartphones. In the same interview, he mentioned, in the metaverse, the interview could happen in a way where he would sit as a hologram on the same couch as the interviewer and make his presence felt.
Source: Live Mint
Roblox, which already has 42 million users logging in each day, is planning to add more languages to cater to a wider audience.
Craig Donato, Roblox's chief business officer has already attended a lot of meetings in the company's virtual office as his Roblox character.
While the emphasis is on enhancing our virtual experience, the Metaverse could affect our real lives in one more interesting way. In a study conducted in Jeremy Bailenson's Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford, it was observed that existing in the virtual world as avatars can affect our offline behaviours too. A simple example to explain this "Proteus effect" is the impact on you when you see your digital avatar exercising on a treadmill. Seeing it lose weight will automatically motivate you to remain fit and get in shape as your virtual avatar.
Key Takeaways:
The Metaverse will promote the idea of large-scale, world wide exchange of ideas, culture, and opportunities.
Our interactions in the Metaverse will largely depend on our mindset and the education imparted to live in such a world.
The Metaverse will enhance the digital experience & implement the same comfort or more as we enjoy in the real-world, physical setting.
If you are wondering what's in it for you, allow us to remind you. A digital avatar would also need a handbag from the brand they like in real life. No wonder that luxury brands have started earning a major portion of their revenue from their digital-only collection. Don't believe us? Roblox's players spent $652 million on outfits for their avatars!
You don't want to be too late in the game, do you? Hit us up and let's make it happen for you too!