he future of the internet includes virtual worlds where humans can interact without the confines of physical space. Welcome to the age of the metaverse. According to analysts’ estimates, these virtual environments could be the next big investment opportunity.
Although the metaverse is still evolving, the technology can revolutionize everything from e-commerce to social media and even real estate. As audiences for these virtual environments grow, so does the interest from corporations trying to capitalize on this trend. Facebook, for example, has rebranded its name as “Meta” (FB) and plans to invest billions in its ambition to build the metaverse.
In this handy beginner’s guide, we aim to help you better understand what the metaverse is and how you might profit from the technology.
Over the past few decades, internet technology has revolutionized how we experience the world, giving us unfettered access to information and expanding our social interactions. The next evolution in tech, however, will likely be more immersive.
Tech companies can develop virtual environments thanks to greater computing power, faster internet connectivity, and other technological advancements like artificial intelligence and machine learning. These spaces aim to give participants a sense of being present without leaving where they are. By using holograms powered by virtual reality sets, or other devices, companies like Meta promise to give people the opportunity “to do almost anything that you can imagine,” as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained in a recent video.
People can teleport themselves as avatars to virtual environments to work, play, shop, exercise, learn, and experience most life activities digitally in this future world. Users can also replicate real-life elements like their home or office décor while incorporating renderings of advanced graphics such as a beach in Hawaii. By blending the imaginary with the real, virtual reality becomes idealized, as described by Meta.
“When you are in a meeting in the metaverse, it will feel like you are in the room together, making eye contact, having a shared sense of space and not just looking at a grid of faces on a screen,” Zuckerberg explains. The same feeling translates across all experiences in virtual worlds. A schoolteacher, for example, could transport students to ancient Rome or the depths of the Amazon Forest through augmented reality, an enhanced version of the physical world.
