Metaverse: Are you ready for your next Avatar?

Let’s keep things simple. This is not a technical article.

The idea is to simply understand Metaverse and how is it going to affect our lives?

What is Metaverse?

Metaverse is a combination of two words – Meta + Verse. Meta comes from Greek which means beyond and verse from Universe. So Metaverse is a space beyond our Universe. It is a concept of transcending reality and taking us into an immersive virtual experience.

Technologists have fantasized for a long to have a virtual reality, which is also called a 'digital second life' for us in addition to our Physical reality. Metaverse is converting that fantasy into reality now.

How does it work?

How many times have you thought that this life has become so intolerable that you just want to flee away from this reality? You just wish to escape and want to start life afresh at some other planet or a new life on this planet itself where ‘things’ are as per your wish.

The answer to this is Metaverse. With the help of a device, you enter into a new immersive virtual world of augmented reality. When you watch a 3D movie, you watch the scenes in 3- dimensions while you are in the 2-dimensional physical reality, but in Metaverse, you become a part by immersing into the 3 -dimensional virtual world.

Just by using a gazette or gear or a headset or any prescribed device, using your computer or mobile as an interface, you simply get transcended into a virtual world. And you are not only watching it, you have transformed yourself into a virtual identity so that you can experience the virtual world around you.

You can 'enter' into Metaverse, can choose an "avatar" for yourself which is your virtual version with almost similar physique, skin tones, and facial expressions. You can choose the clothes and accessories and can create your stylish image. But what you will do going there? Well, so many things…

• ?You can invite your friends for hanging out where you are in a funky attire with a casual ambiance
• ?Then, you can switch to office attire and attend an official meeting in an office ambiance, not as a remote participant like you do in Zoom or Google meet but at a place where you can meet your boss and colleagues in their ‘avatars’.
• Then, you can go and attend a live concert wherein you can enjoy and dance and sing.
• Then, you can go shopping in a virtual store, assisted by a virtual assistant, fill in a virtual cart, and can even say hello to fellow shoppers.?

If you want some element of reality, then you can also replicate some of the physical elements into your virtual world.

For example, if you want to host a party in your living room, then you can replicate your living room in the Metaverse and can host a party there.

History & Development:

As a concept Metaverse was discussed in the dystopian novel ‘Snow Crash', published in 1992, by Neal Stephenson, which describes a world where everyone starts living in Metaverse. In some of the online games like ‘Frontline’, some elements of Metaverse are already used. The same elements can be found in the online social platform ‘Second Life’ wherein people could make their digital identities, shop or build properties.

However, Metaverse which was a farfetched phenomenon, has been propelled into the mainstream by Mark Zuckerberg, who rebranded Facebook as Meta recently. According to him, the Future is beyond something we can even imagine. If you are a social media/FB addict you can imagine how utterly addictive it would be when rather than just watching the social lives of people through photos & videos and engaging through comments, you can cohabit them on virtual space!

?Where it can be Used?

Well, there is no limit to it. But just to give an idea:?

1.??Real Estate - You can create a look & feel for the properties for your customers in Metaverse.

2.??Education – It will be far more fun and entertaining to educate students in Metaverse.?

3.??Tours & Travels – In Metaverse you can visit any place anytime.

4.??Fun & Entertainment – You can host/attend any event live on Metaverse. There is no limit to entertainment on Metaverse.

5.??Shopping – There would be a tectonic shift in shopping experiences, wherein stores will be in Metaverse.

And many more….

How you will trade in Metaverse?

When you will be visiting Metaverse, of course you need to trade. You can buy anything like a concert ticket or things or even property through Non-Fungible Tokens or NFTs. That itself is a broad topic and we will talk about it some other day.

How is it going to affect you?

Right now, since the advent of Social media, how many times have you gotten so bored with the virtual world that you go on a digital detox?

The more we start living in the virtual world, the more we will become distant from the real world.

Whatever changes happen around us, we train & prepare ourselves for that. But at the moment it feels very scary. Initially exciting but detrimental to mental health and emotional well-being in the long run. There is a huge risk, especially for the young kids that they may start believing that the Metaverse is the real world and the actual real world is fake. They may become over conscious of their virtual image and may get addicted to virtual social interactions.

However, it’s going to completely change our professional lives and the way we do business. I am amazed at thinking how much we can do in my own field of Advertising & Marketing.

Though, we have to wait and watch for Metaverse to become a part of our lives with one thing in mind:

Even if Metaverse exists, the real Universe continues to exist and we should never get detached from our actual realities. The solutions do not lie in escape but in dealing with the problems in real-time. Occasional visits are ok though!

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