At present, we live in a world wherein people do not yearn much for physical contact. Smartphones and the internet have made it possible to do anything and everything without moving out of the house.
One can watch movies at home, order groceries and veggies, get food delivered at the doorstep, and meet grandparents and friends far off in the world through video calls and virtual meets. In other words, there is the highest level of convenience and flexibility.
Humans have become so dependent on the internet, that it has become almost impossible to imagine lives without it. The daily routine will get disturbed in the absence of the internet. Life comes to a standstill when the internet or social media apps are down even for an hour.
For people who had thought that there cannot be anything better than this, there was something waiting in the line – Metaverse.
What is Metaverse?
Metaverse is supposedly the next stage of evolution. Metaverse is quickly gaining acceptance and popularity across the world. It has been deemed as the future of the internet. This new concept is set to change reality in more ways than one. So, what exactly is Metaverse? In layman’s terms, Metaverse can be called stepping inside the world of the internet.
The Concept of Metaverse
An immersive experience – instead of watching a video, you can step inside the video. You can walk, touch, and interact with all the things inside the video.
A Physical location – you are teleported to an actual physical location in the metaverse. You can create something inside the metaverse for others to experience.
Existence as an Avatar – Avatars are your graphical representation. Just like you exist in this real world, you exist as an avatar in the metaverse.
How will the Metaverse change the world?
Metaverse is set to transform the way we live and exist. Our routine will not be a regular one, as it is now. We will be going in and out of the real world at the tap of a button. There are many more things that are going to change in the world in the near future, thanks to the Metaverse. Here are 10 areas that will be influenced by Metaverse in the coming years.
- Enhanced Virtual Shopping Experience
Metaverse will merge the concept of e-commerce with brick-and-mortar. With this, people will be able to enter a virtual shopping mall while sitting on their sofa in the living room. There would be shops in the metaverse that would emulate the shopping experience of a physical store.
Store representatives would be unique avatars of the actual people. Soon, you will be able to look at the mannequins, experience the live demo, and purchase things like you do in reality.
- Investment in Digital Real Estate
Until the advent of the world wide web, no one would have thought that a virtual platform can be bought and owned. Here we are talking about the web domain. Surprising isn’t it! As this looks normal now, buying and owning a digital piece of land will be a reality in the near future. In the metaverse, it is possible to buy land, build residential and commercial structures and do many things that people generally do on real land.
- Acceptance of Cryptocurrency
In the coming years, cryptocurrency will be the first preference for money, just like e-wallets are, in the present age. If you want to go on a shopping spree in the metaverse, then cryptocurrency is the tool that you should have. Metaverse accepts cryptocurrency, just like the U.S.A. accepts dollars.
In the Metaverse, your nationality and actual location don’t matter at all. There are no geographical borders in the metaverse, making it easy to transit. Metaverse gives the benefit of instant experiences.
- Advance graphics technology for experiences
Concerts and live performances are already gaining popularity in the metaverse. Just Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Travis Scott are some of the artists who have already performed in the metaverse. The major benefit of such concerts is that there is unlimited capacity and advanced special effects.
These concerts have fully immersive Virtual Reality headsets and avatars of performers and audience. While real-life concerts have tragedies like trampling, such things are next to impossible in the metaverse.
- Marketing and Advertising in Metaverse
Metaverse will be a hub of advertising. There would be billboards, banners, placards, and many other innovative means to advertise a product or service in the Metaverse. However, right from the beginning, it is going to be aggressive.
It will not develop gradually like in the real world. Just like in the actual world, it will be possible to hire freelancers in the metaverse. They would be placed on the street, on the buildings, and in all the places that can be imagined with the advertisements. Brands will consider advertising not only for the products that are in the metaverse but also those that exist in the real world.
- Next level of video call experience
People will be able to turn their video calls into a reality in the metaverse. The usage of video calls rose during the pandemic. The internet made it possible for people to experience face-to-face conversations, which was not possible earlier.
However, the metaverse is a step ahead. It will make it possible to meet and greet people, interact and even play games together. The term catching up will take a whole new meaning with the metaverse.
- Transition in the work culture
While the lockdown made work from home and remote working a possibility, the metaverse is going to take this a level up. At present, people arrange a quick video conferences to discuss things and save time. However, in the metaverse, business meetings would happen among the avatars.
There can be product presentations and discussions over a cup of coffee that could be actually relished through food delivery apps. Metaverse meetings will help save money on transit, hotels, and food to a great extent.
- Transformation in Education and Learning
After the invention of e-learning and mobile learning, metaverse learning will soon gain popularity. Classrooms in the metaverse will emulate the experience of an actual classroom.
Just like in real-life, learners will be able to take notes, write answers and appear for examination in the metaverse. There can be field trips in the metaverse to gain an in-depth understanding of a concept as well.
- Advanced level of Immersive Learning
Learning will be up-close and personalized in the metaverse. In order to learn more about the solar system, students will be able to experience the solar system in the metaverse. They can see how a pluto actually looks by watching it move in the solar system in the metaverse.
Learners can learn about archaeology by visiting a museum in the metaverse. Websites for gaining knowledge will be old-school for some time as education moves towards the metaverse.
- Travel the world in the Metaverse
So many of us have the dream to travel the world and only a few of us have the time, money, and energy to actually do that. But with the concept of the metaverse, almost every one of us will be able to travel the world without actually traveling.
There would be zero expenses incurred on hotel and flight tickets, yet you can experience traveling the world. Isn’t this awesome? While videos and video calls just allow you to view the pyramids, the metaverse lets you walk around them. It is so real that it is like standing there in real life.
Last but not the least
While there are a lot of hopes and dreams for the possibilities in the metaverse, this concept is still in its infancy at present. However, researchers and developers are soon making everything a possibility. There are so many things in the world that took time to develop and have now become a part and parcel of actual life. This will happen exactly with the Metaverse.