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It was October 2021 when Facebook rebranded as Meta. After this,the word “metaverse” became a buzzword once again. Others believe that the metaverse is part of Meta’s vision,while some simply take it as the next level of the internet known as Web3.0 But what is it really and where did it originate? Here’s a quick guide for you.
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When was the term first used?
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The term “metaverse” was first used in “Snow Cash,” a dystopian cyberpunk novel by Neal Stephenson that was released in 1992. The metaverse in the novel was described as a three-dimensional reality space where people can get into through personal terminals. Users have virtual reality goggles that are gaining popularity these days. The 3D world is similar to an urban metropolis with a single road. The author’s vision of the metaverse can be compared to the settings used in massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs/MMOs).
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Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of the metaverse is that it is a grand virtual experience that offers beyond what the internet can currently offer. In a letter to his employees,he wrote “We’ve gone from desktop to web to mobile; from text to photos to video. But this isn’t the end of the line…The next platform will be even more immersive—an embodied internet where you’re in the experience,not just looking at it. We call this the metaverse,and it will touch every product we build.”
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Does it really exist?
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Should the metaverse become an embodied world wide web,then it should hold attributes making it different from isolated virtual reality experiences. In venture capitalist Matthew Ball’s website,he describes the metaverse as a “massively scaled and interoperable network of real-time rendered 3D virtual worlds which can be experienced synchronously and persistently by an effectively unlimited number of users with an individual sense of presence,and with continuity of data,such as identity,history,entitlements,objects,communications,and payments.”
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Imagine the metaverse as a space where a user can enter a virtual shopping mall where other people are also welcome. These users can buy a unique digital product and perhaps later put it up for sale in another virtual world or maybe in eBay or Twitter.
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If this sounds familiar to you,then you may have seen the movie “Ready Player One,” adapted from a book written by Ernest Cline and published in 2011. The virtual world in the movie is one of the closest depiction of the metaverse that we could get.
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Where does technology come in?
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The technologies behind the metaverse go beyond the use virtual reality,but also center on augmented reality,which mixes digital and physical worlds. This does not mean,however,that this world can only be accessed through virtual or augmented reality. A digital realm,like aspects of Fortnite that users can access through computers,game consoles,and even phones,could likewise be considered “metaversal.”
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Many brands and upcoming startups such as Radian Community are exploring opportunities in the metaverse and it is no surprise at all. The metaverse offers endless possibilities and that is why more and more people are interested to be part of it. Let us keep our eyes peeled for what the metaverse can offer to all of us.
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