Breezy Explainer: What is metaverse and how does it work?

Metaverse is on the tip of everyone’s tongue, the newest buzzword captures imagination and interest. So much so that Facebook is rebranding itself around the concept. Here’s all about what it is and how it works.

Metaverse: what and why

Metaverse is the internet but in A3D. Zuckerberg calls it a ‘virtual environment’ where you can enter, connect or teleport instead of just staring at your screen and changing tabs or apps. In short, the Metaverse is a platform of endless virtual communities that are interconnected. It facilitates people to meet, play and work using VR and AR devices. “A lot of the metaverse experience is going to be around being able to teleport from one experience to another,” said the CEO.

However, the Metaverse is not just limited to online experiences. “It’s the next evolution of connectivity where all of those things start to come together in a seamless, doppelganger universe, so you’re living your virtual life the same way you’re living your physical life,” said Victoria Petrock, a tech analyst. With this new platform, you can go on an online trip, create art, attend a virtual concert, and much more. 

The term Metaverse was first used in Nepal Stephenson’s 1992 sci-fi novel, Snow Crash. Since then, rebranding Facebook as Meta or Meta Platforms Inc. has been the biggest thing. However, Zuckerberg’s team is not the only one to think about making it a reality. The virtual world is a collaboration with various tech experts and creators. 

Metaverse: Is this a new way to take my data?

Mark Zuckerbergberg’s Metaverse platform does contradict the visions of several people in terms of data ownership and leak. “We want to be able to move around the internet with ease, but we also want to be able to move around the internet in a way we’re not tracked and monitored,” explainer Steve Jang, a venture capitalist. Facebook’s current business model revolves around targeted advertising. The platform wants to carry the same business model. “Ads are going to continue being an important part of the strategy across the social media parts of what we do, and it will probably be a meaningful part of the metaverse, too,” said Zuckerberg in the Facebook Connect event on October 28th. 

Moreover, there are several complaints of Facebook giving more importance to profits than the safety of its users. Former employees turned whistleblowers recently shared how Facebook’s internal research reveals the harmful effects of Instagram on teenagers. 

Tech companies are figuring out how to connect various platforms. The Metaverse is not just Facebook’s project but includes several companies. “We think there’s going to be lots of companies building virtual worlds and environments in the metaverse, in the same way, there have been lots of companies doing things on the World Wide Web,” said Richard Kerris. Kerris is the Vice President of Nvidia’s Omniverse. “It’s important to be open and extensible, so you can teleport to different worlds whether it’s by one company or another company, the same way I go from one web page to another web page,” added Kerris.