Meta who, Meta what, Meta why, mash up (and a BBQ recipe).

Zuckerberg did a good job in re-branding to Meta. Why? Well, every time we talk about "the metaverse" we immediately, well most do, associate with Meta and Facebook. When in fact, it is the medium of Virtual Reality we need to be thinking about.

If you search "metaverse", the dictionary defines it as thus :

metaverse

[?m?t?v??s]

NOUN

computing

1. a virtual-reality space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users.

Wikipedia describes it's origination of the term "metaverse" :

"A?metaverse?is a network of 3D?virtual worlds?focused on social connection.[1][2][3]?In?futurism?and?science fiction, it is often described as a hypothetical iteration of the?Internet?as a single, universal?virtual world?that is facilitated by the use of?virtual?and?augmented reality?headsets.[4][1]

The term "metaverse" has its origins in the 1992 science fiction novel?Snow Crash?as a?portmanteau?of "meta" and "universe." Various metaverses have been developed for popular use such as?virtual world?platforms like?Second Life.[5]?Some metaverse iterations involve integration between virtual and physical spaces and?virtual economies.[1]?Demand for increased immersion means metaverse development is often linked to advancing virtual reality technology.[6][7][8]

The term has been used as a?buzzword[4][9]?to exaggerate development progress of various related technologies and projects for?public relations?purposes.[10]?Information privacy, user addiction, and user safety are concerns within metaverses, stemming from challenges facing the social media and video game industries as a whole.[11][4][12] . Accompanied by the below picture of some avatars gathering in Second Life back in 2003."

Hence, this is nothing new.

Yet, if we look at Google Trends over the last 5 years, we see this.

And what date did Facebook announce the re-brand to Meta - 28th October 2021.

Compare this to Virtual Reality and we see something very different :

And consider that Facebook acquired Oculus back in 2014. As we see back in 2017 this article questions if VR will be the next big thing in gaming. Evidently not really. Back then.

Go to our trusty friend Answer The Public and we can see people are asking all sorts of questions about the metaverse.

Follow this link to learn more.

So, here is a 30 min LinkedIn live I did with Lately sharing my take on things :

If Podcasts are more your thing, then, have a listen to me chatting with the brilliant Aragorn Meulendijks - Welcome to the Metaverse :

Be sure to follow him too.

Here are some more people I follow on LinkedIn who share great content on all of this :

Cathy Hackl - Chief Metaverse Officer | Top Web 3.0 Strategist | Author: Navigating the Metaverse (Q1 2022) | Media Personality | Investor | Speaker |Ex: AWS, Magic Leap, HTC | Virtual Fashion & Worlds, Gaming, NFTs, Holograms, AR

Abby Guthkelch - Executive Engagement | The Future of Work | Meta Reality Labs @ Meta

Gerd Leonhard - Keynote Speaker (Virtual and RL), Author, Futurist & Humanist, CEO The Futures Agency, Video and Audio Podcast Host, Film Maker

Martin Harbech - LinkedIn 'Top Voice' in Technology & Innovation | Group Director @ Meta [Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Oculus, Workplace, Portal, and more...]

Betty - Founder at Deadfellaz | Innovating, building and exploring Web3. GM ??

Mitch Jackson - Trial lawyer, entrepreneur, and investor. Follow me and PM me to start the conversation. If I'm in court or with a client, I'll reply as soon as I can. ??

Follow these hashtags on here and elsewhere :

#metaverse #ar #vr #augmentedreality #virtualreality #xr #extendedreality

Have a look at Microsoft Mesh - Introducing Microsoft Mesh | Here can be anywhere.

Have a look at Nvidia Omniverse - Omniverse Platform for 3D Design Collaboration and Simulation | NVIDIA

Have a look at Spatial - Spatial - Metaverse Spaces That Bring Us Together

One thing I will say - until you have put on a VR headset and immersed yourself in the world of VR, it is very difficult to express how this all looks and feels in a 2 dimensional medium. If you know someone who has a headset, ask to have a go. Then, I believe you will start to understand where this can apply in the world of business.

Finally, a BBQ recipe.

Chicken Lollipops, super easy and super tasty :

Thank you for reading, watching, listening, and most importantly, thank you for subscribing.

Happy grilling, and exploring.

Alex