Simply put, the metaverse is the next generation of the internet. It's going to turn today's online experiences into interconnected, immersive digital spaces where you can interact with others no matter where you are physically.
What's special about the metaverse is that in many ways it has more in common with our physical world than it does with today's internet. Meeting in the metaverse is going to feel physical and connected, just like meeting in person. Think of this as an embodied internet, meaning you will be in it and not just looking at it.
The ways you interact with others won't be limited to the text or 2D images you're used to seeing on your screens today. Instead, it's going to feel like people are there with you. We call this co-presence, or that feeling of being physically together even when we're not.
You might have gotten a taste of co-presence through online games like Minecraft or World of Warcraft. The metaverse takes the idea of co-presence beyond gaming and applies it to everything. Imagine inviting far away friends to your personal space to watch your favorite show, or browsing a foreign art museum with your mom, all without leaving home. In the metaverse, distance disappears.
What will the metaverse look like?
The answer is: whatever you want it to look like. Unlike the early internet, which was created primarily by technical software engineers, the metaverse is being created by people from all sorts of backgrounds looking to create a space of their own. In fact, there are Quest users using tutorials to build in Horizon Worlds today. Whether it's a concert or a recording studio or a comedy club, if you can imagine it, you can build it in the metaverse.
The scale of that freedom presents endless opportunities. The metaverse has the power to create jobs, enable new business opportunities and increase access to training and educational experiences.
What are the potential benefits of the metaverse?
The metaverse has the potential to:
- Create new jobs and economic opportunities
- Enable new business models and ways of working
- Increase access to training and education
- Improve communication and collaboration
- Provide new ways to experience the world
What are the challenges of the metaverse?
The metaverse is still in its early stages of development, so there are a number of challenges that need to be addressed. These include:
- Technical challenges, such as developing the hardware and software that will power the metaverse
- Privacy and security challenges, as people will be sharing more personal information in the metaverse
- Social challenges, such as how to ensure that the metaverse is a safe and welcoming space for everyone
