Not long ago I was having lunch with a younger colleague. He was telling me all about the fun things he was doing with his friends, the jokes they would tell, their family challenges – the usual. Halfway through the conversation he mentioned “Oculus” and I realized all these experiences he was describing were happening through a virtual reality headset. His entire social life was, well, virtual. The term “metaverse” has been coined to describe this digital reality that people may (will?) increasingly use to interact with one another. And it will be far more immersive than simply scrolling through social media posts. This video is a fairly good and concise summary of the concept. I recall in 2016 receiving a Google Daydream, an early virtual reality headset, and being blown away by how engaging it could be. Popular movies like “Ready Player One” or shows like “Upload” seem futuristic today, but with the amount of money big corporations are pouring into the metaverse it may not be that far off before those concepts become commonplace.
Comments