SIU PRSSA Southern Illinois University Public Relations Student Society of America
Related Articles
A new term making its rounds on the internet has slowly grown from a rare buzzword to becoming part of daily discussions. Whether you have heard this term through the news, internet memes, or family and friends, it can be a bit of a confusing topic since the word can mean something different to everyone. The term is “Metaverse.”
The Metaverse is a difficult concept to define. It is still in its early days of conception. As explained by Wired Magazine, “the term doesn’t really refer to any one specific type of technology, but rather a broad shift in how we interact with technology.” Before diving into what potential impacts this can have on technology and our day-to-day lives, we must explore what it is and how to “access” it.
Many believe Metaverse is simply a digital world within virtual reality and only accessed with a VR headset. This idea is partially false because not only can it be accessed with a VR headset, but it can be a ‘space’ accessed by anyone with a PC, augmented reality equipment, a smartphone, or even some gaming consoles. While most of these platforms do not currently have the capacity and infrastructure to access and support the Metaverse, this is the vision for many companies like Snap, Microsoft, Nvidia, Roblox, Epic Games, and Meta (previously Facebook). Although those companies are working on different sectors of the Metaverse, just like Google is not the only search engine for the internet, there will not only be one way to use Metaverse.
There are already some ways users utilize Metaverse in a small scope of their daily lives. Metaverse is primarily used through VR headsets where users can create an inter-platform persona that can interact with other users. This persona is different from a Mii or Bitmoji, which are only used on specific platforms like the Wii and smartphones, respectively. Still, this persona will be able to be used in not only different sectors of Metaverse but beyond, such as in someone’s daily life.
There are, of course, customizable options for your character, which you can purchase with real money ranging from clothes to real estate. Leisure and gaming are not the only things to do in the Metaverse. For example, Microsoft has implemented a version of team meetings for employees to all meet up virtually as they would do in the office for employees that are remote or simply not in the office. These are just the beginnings of Metaverse.
There are already various things to do and interact with, and influential people are getting on board, spending large amounts of money on clothes, activities, and real estate property. Much like the internet has evolved beyond our wildest dreams over the decades, Metaverse will likely do the same thing. Whether the world is ready or not, Metaverse is coming.
