Adam Kos The year 2021 was not just another year with the disease of COVID-19. It was also the one in which Facebook changed its name to Meta Platforms Inc., i.e. Meta, and when the whole world inflected the term metaverse. However, this term was definitely not invented by Mark Zuckerberg, as this designation dates back to 1992.
Neal stephenson is an American writer whose fiction works fall into many different categories, from cyberpunk to science fiction to historical novels. And his work Snow from 1992, combining memetics, computer viruses and other technical topics with Sumerian mythology and an analysis of political ideologies, such as libertarianism, laissez faire or communism, also contains references to the metaverse. Here he outlined the form of virtual reality, which he named Metaverse, and in which a virtual simulation of the human body is present.
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If it were a definition of the word metaverse, it would sound like: a collective virtual shared space that is created by the convergence of a virtually enhanced physical reality and a physically persistent virtual space.
But what do you imagine under that? Of course, there could be more interpretations, but Zuckerberg described it as a virtual environment that you can enter yourself, rather than just watch on a flat screen. And you will be able to enter it, for example, as an avatar. This term was also coined by Stephenson in his work Snow, and it was only later that it began to be used to refer to virtual characters, whether in computer games, films (Avatar), operating systems, etc. The basis of the metaverse should therefore be a certain form of 3D Internet.
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It won't work without hardware
However, in order to properly consume/view/navigate such content, you must have the appropriate tool. These are and will be VR and AR glasses or entire headsets, perhaps in combination with smartphones and other devices. Meta is dedicated to them with its company Oculus, big things are expected from Apple in this regard.
You will be able to shop in virtual stores, watch virtual concerts, travel to virtual destinations, and of course, all from the comfort of your own home. You saw the picture Ready Player One? If not, then take a look at it and you will have a certain idea of what it could really "realistically" look like in the future.
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In this way, we will experience everything more realistically and intensively, and not only through Meta and Apple, because other technological giants are also working on their solution and will not want to be left behind (Microsoft, Nvidia). Whoever starts this world first will have a clear lead. Not only in the sales success of your solution, but also in the collection of data about users and, of course, targeting the ideal advertisement.
