A couple of years ago, right before COVID-19 brought the world to a halt, I was watching a documentary on Computer Generated Imagery, more popularly known as CGI. As the footage went by, I was convinced the people and animals were real until one of the characters performed a stunt, and I was made aware that the images in front of me were far from reality. Surprisingly, I could not decipher between reality and the computer-generated version. What struck me the most was a statement that said the technology used to build this footage has already become obsolete.
However, the truth is, the experience I had that day will soon bend reality for all of us right from our digital devices. Suppose you have lately heard the word ‘metaverse’; you may as well be aware that we are entering a digitally created world where everything is so real. In that case, we will not be able to tell the difference between the non-physical world and actuality. For better or for worse, Metaverse is here to revolutionise how we humans connect and communicate with one another across the globe.
A World In Codes
Although there is a lot of excitement around the word ‘Metaverse,’ no one knows for sure what we may expect from it. Mark Zuckerberg labels it as an ‘Embodied Internet’, meaning a connection of the internet with our five senses. The new world is made up of numerous codes that control the surroundings. Still, individual characters can make informed decisions just like in the real world, including striking up a conversation or holding a social gathering.
The term was first coined in a science fiction novel named Snow Crash some thirty years ago. Neal Stephenson, the writer, imagined a digital world where humans interact in a multiplayer setting, allowing them to straddle both spaces simultaneously. Ever since Mark Zuckerberg announced renaming Facebook to Meta, people have been placing bets on what futures may look for us.
To be honest, it is very hard to pinpoint anything right now because evolution has just begun, with new technologies enhancing the experience as we speak. However, one may consider taking a stroll through platforms like the Sandbox, Mirandus, and Decentraland, given one has access to a crypto wallet and a Windows PC. A laptop might not be the best choice of device in this case, as its ability to handle a world with millions of users may be limited. That’s why Metaverse’s vision includes XR, blockchain, and AI technologies.
While Web 2.0 deals with social networking sites and monetises user data for advertising, Web 3.0 will deal with a decentralised system of crypto assets and data. Centralised gatekeepers and ‘free’ social media platforms can no longer use our data to influence what we do or see online.
Blockchain
Blockchain is a technology that permanently records transactions, typically in a decentralised and public database called a ledger. Public blockchains are also transparent in contrast to traditional banking books. A user can establish a smart contract on the blockchain to establish ownership of a crypto asset, such as a piece of art or music, and no one else can claim ownership of that object.
This is how blockchain allows users to own digital objects in the virtual world, giving them more control over their virtual experience. While Web 2.0 deals with social networking sites and monetises user data for advertising, Web 3.0 will deal with a decentralised system of crypto assets and data. Centralised gatekeepers and ‘free’ social media platforms can no longer use our data to influence what we do or see online.
Artificial Intelligence
Constructing a bridge between the physical and digital world is no easy task. It would be impossible without intelligent machines to translate our physical surroundings into a virtual experience. It can help with natural language processing, converting it into a machine-readable format, performing analysis, arriving at a response, converting the results back into English and sending it to the user. AI also can parse huge volumes of data at lightning speed to generate insights and drive action. All in all, without AI, it won’t be easy to create an engaging, authentic, and scalable metaverse experience. That’s why companies are working closely with think tanks and expert groups to stem the risks of AI without curbing the technology’s potential.
Extended Reality
All that being said, we do need a gateway to step into the virtual world. More popularly known as XR, the extended reality overlaps the physical and non-physical surroundings using headsets and devices. Users must create an avatar that resembles their personality to go about and interact with other entities in the community. The panels are loaded with options to customsie your hair, eye colour, clothing, and you can pick your best fit, all in the extended reality. It does not stop there. You can also use mixed and augmented reality to bring digital content into the real world, changing the way we interact with everything from maps to retail experiences.
Metaverse as We Speak
The pandemic might have halted life for days at a stretch. Still, it also pushed people to immerse in digital worlds and get more acquainted with communities unrestricted by geographic location. I have heard of multiple concerts, ceremonies, and events held online and still sewing the same level of excitement among people. The gaming community is growing by the minute, with more and more gamers enjoying the virtual experience of creating their replicas online, exploring the man who created a world with millions of others.
Constructing a bridge between the physical and digital world is no easy task. It would be impossible without intelligent machines to translate our physical surroundings into a virtual experience.
According to studies conducted in the US,
l 65% of gamers have engaged in a media experience like watching an in-game TV show, movie, or premier on a gaming platform or participating in a live concert.
l 69% of people have participated in social activities, like socialising, meeting new people, or travelling to digital environments in a gaming environment.
l 72% of people have taken part in metaverse economic activity, like purchasing in-game items, investing in in-game currency, shopping at virtual marketplaces, or trading with other players in the gaming landscape.
Experts have pointed out that the gaming environment can be the starting point of the marriage between the crypto world and the real world. Speaking of marriage, I hope you can notice how we have slowly evolved with the progress of the internet. With the internet, we only had a virtual connection, which was extended into virtual communication with the advent of social media. We are now on the verge of yet another revolution, one step towards the future, and we stand at the gates of virtual immersion.
Where Is the Metaverse Heading?
In the last couple of years, companies like Epic Games and Animal Crossing have introduced environments where people can interact and spend time with their friends and family in social gatherings, even if they were not physically doing so. As we head into the future, newer technologies will boost the quality of our spontaneous social interactions with more ambient communications and realistic human avatars. For now, we can only imagine being able to holographically transport anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds, but a day will come when it becomes the norm.
Virtual meetings will take over round table discussions and simulations will take over product testing. Metaverse will also create incredible opportunities for online learning and training in the workplace, allowing people to step into unique experiences to build muscle memories and new skills. Microsoft and Accenture have already experimented with creating virtual workspaces for collaboration, while Facebook (Meta) Horizon offers ways to work virtually through headsets. Future metaverse media experiences will combine in-person interactions with digital-twin events in the virtual world to create more hybrid experiences for people who can’t travel to conference spaces.
However, before we get carried away in the immersion of technology and the new Metaverse, there are multiple factors on the grounds of ethics and sustainability that we need to consider before we welcome the change into our lives. One of the promises of the Metaverse is its universality which is only possible as long as the benefits do not remain confined to a section of people only. The use of blockchains and decentralisation can keep the environment safe and secure, but there should always be room for learning and growing. Unless this places us all in the same boat, it will only worsen inequality globally.
For Better or for Worse, Metaverse Is Here
Change is a continuous process, and a day will come when Metaverse takes over our lives. Used correctly, it can open new gates for us. Put another way, Metaverse marks the beginning of a new era by the people, for the people. Regardless of the geographic and language barriers, we can revamp our economies in a more accessible manner based on the decentralised distribution of values. However, if it only benefits one section of people, it will likely create more difficulties for the rest. Think of this new technology as another tool for a brighter future – let’s use the possibilities for good.
