What are the METAVERSES?
Currently, the pandemic has brought about technological changes at the social, educational, work, and economic levels. Due to the accelerated digital adoption, even less digitally inclined generations like Generation X and baby boomers were forced to adapt to a digital reality.
This mandatory digital transformation had various repercussions, such as Amazon’s impact on the retail industry and Zoom’s role in virtual meetings. However, others, like Mark Zuckerberg, took a different approach, focusing on immersing people in a virtual reality called the metaverse. This new reality is expected to be the next evolutionary step in the current digital era.
Like other common terms in the era of information technologies, the word “metaverse” has its origins in science fiction literature, specifically in the novel “Snow Crash” written by Neal Stephenson in 1992. This concept is becoming increasingly prevalent in headlines and attracting significant investments from major companies such as Facebook, Nvidia, or Microsoft. But do you know exactly what it is?
The metaverse is a virtual universe that expands the physical world into the digital realm, allowing users to interact with spaces, objects, and people just as they do in the physical world. It offers opportunities for various sectors, from entertainment and content to retail or banking.
It is essential to consider that in the metaverse, people will be able to interact with each other similarly to the physical world, allowing them to work, play, conduct transactions, and socialize with one another. Additionally, it will be possible to interact with companies and services. This digital universe will even have its own functional economy, where individuals can buy, sell, and trade goods and services with other users and companies.
According to Edward Castronova (2001), metaverses must fulfill three fundamental characteristics, which are explained as follows:
- Refers to the user’s ability to communicate with other users and interact with the metaverse.
- The user is represented through an avatar that has a considerable height and weight, and a presence in the three-dimensional space, subject to certain limits.
- Refers to the continuity of the program, meaning that it continues to function and develop even when some or all of its users are not connected.
The emergence of these virtual spaces will have practically countless benefits, providing people with new opportunities and capabilities. Some of the advantages include the accessibility of experiences, the creation of new possibilities, and the monetization of the metaverse. According to Bloomberg, this virtual universe could represent a global business of 800 billion dollars by 2024.
In conclusion, as developed in this article, the metaverse will help unlock access to new creative, social, and economic opportunities, generating much more immersive experiences.
