The Metaverse is incredibly diverse, however, its definition limits it to exist within only one aspect: The virtual world. However, the Metaverse is already here with social media, non-fungible tokens, and so much more. So why should you care? Because in the near distant future, we’ll all go through an incredible shift in how we go about our daily lives.
Looking back on the last ten to twenty years, we have given birth to a digital world surrounded by social media, online video games, and virtual technology. Art, business, and education are evolving alongside these developments and this observation must be acknowledged. We’ve finally arrived at the time when a 1950s child’s imagination of a science-fiction world is actually starting to take shape. It’s incredibly exciting and terrifying! We must let our fears ground our ability to think logically but let our excitement motivate us to go even further.
The most dangerous thing about the Metaverse is how we choose to approach it. Will we let it consume our reality altogether or use the Metaverse as a tool to further progress as humans? We’ve already seen that its most popular form, social media, already has its long list of pros and cons. However, the future of the Metaverse isn’t just about connecting, it’s also about experiencing. Just take a look at virtual properties for example. An art form designed to bring a person into another dimension. Surrounded by intricately designed architecture with an accompanying surreal background. Some even take place outside of Earth. To experience that simultaneously with a loved one or a good friend, people can enjoy the Metaverse to the fullest. We can finally exist within our own imagination and we don’t even have to do it alone. People aside, these environments are already phenomenal on their own as they exist nowhere else but in the Metaverse. Artists have the chance to show their visions in a medium that allows people to walk inside it.
However, what would we look like inside these environments? With one word, avatars. The Metaverse not only lets us create environments we want to be in, but we can also look exactly how we’d like. The possibilities are truly endless and everyone can express themselves in a creative way. This is where the danger part can come. In a digital world with a digital avatar, what’s the point of being in reality then? Many might have that thought but we must remember that our own lives are still here with us. Immersing ourselves in these experiences does not make our real lives any less valuable. As much as we’d like the Metaverse, it can never replace our true reality.
Fashion is yet another emerging aspect of art that is thriving with the Metaverse. Digital clothing is changing the way we view apparel. As augmented reality is becoming more accessible and advanced, so is clothing. The current biggest example would be how some online websites offer their customers a chance to view the selected item through augmented reality with their phone camera. In this way, customers can try on clothing without ever having to step into a fitting room. While the actual feeling or size of the clothing can’t be determined, people can at the very least see how it’ll look on them. But even accessibility aside, digital clothing is its own aspect, as well with some designers only curating their pieces virtually. Yet another way to express one’s creativity. Even non-fungible tokens are used in some luxury brands as paid customers receive them as their physical purchase’s “certificate of authenticity.”
For business and education, the Metaverse serves as a useful tool. Remotely shared spaces, virtual image displays, and virtual environments all stimulate productivity and growth. For businesses, this allows for more effective communication and brainstorming. It also allows them to provide services for their consumers such as virtual simulations of what their company offers or represents. With education, this can allow teachers to not only have more ways to teach but also allow students to think more critically. By using the Metaverse, a student can learn much more effectively because they can see a topic presented from different perspectives (literally). Not only can the Metaverse make work or learning more engaging, but it can also be more helpful. While there is a lot of fear surrounding technology and children, we must still consider the advantages it brings to them. With a controlled environment such as a classroom, the teacher can make sure that such use of the Metaverse only helps the children and does not harm them through overconsumption of screens.
The Metaverse is spiritual as it is technological. The human implications of alternating reality is extremely complicated. It is not to eradicate the humanity that exists within our current reality, but to heighten it through an immersive experience. Connections, business, and art can all be associated with the Metaverse because its purpose is to give humans another dimension where they can create, interact, and think, not to replace. Technology is created to better the quality of life as it always has, and with the Metaverse, this is another big step towards such improvement. How we choose to be in the Metaverse will impact our mentality because we will be in another realm. The Metaverse is more than just a headset. By welcoming it we are seeing a world of possibilities we haven’t seen before. We can dictate our environment and communicate with each other through various tools and mediums. The Metaverse helps bring down the restrictions that reality has kept us in. As technology continues to advance, the Metaverse will become more prominent in our lives.