As part of our new series, Decoded, we’ve teamed up with WePresent to take a deep dive into emerging digital cultures and technologies. For the first in the series, we examine the metaverse, exploring whether this mysterious digital evolution will be full of exciting work opportunities for emerging creatives – before gaining expert insight from Institute of Digital Fashion co-founder, Leanne-Elliott Young.
What exactly is the metaverse?
Look into definitions of the metaverse online, and you’ll find a myriad of descriptions that range from the poetic and abstract, to the overly technical. The reason for this, is that it’s a bit like explaining the internet to someone who’s time-travelled from the past: The metaverse is futuristic, expansive and it doesn’t fully exist yet. However, one of the simplest descriptions we’ve come across? A three-dimensional internet, populated with live people, as defined by Second Life creator, Philip Rosedale.
Envisioning physically impossible scenarios is another way to get closer to understanding what the metaverse has in store. By blending the physical and digital (or ‘phygital’), it has the ability to make the unreal, real. But that’s not to say it doesn’t come without its dangerous downsides, with some raising concerns around data security risks and safeguarding threats, to potential environmental impact, as well as non-inclusive infrastructures and biases.
“The metaverse has the ability to make the unreal, real.”
Right now, the metaverse can only be fully experienced via virtual reality (VR) headsets, so access to it is still limited. This means that a lot of people’s awareness of the metaverse has come via Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement of Facebook’s rebranding to Meta in October 2021 – all guided by the company’s belief that it’s going to be huge.
So huge in fact, that Zuckerberg has committed to investing $10 billion in metaverse development; and as the leader of a social network with over three billion monthly active users, the world can’t help but believe that this next online advancement is indeed indicative of our future.
CREDITS: https://www.creativelivesinprogress.com/article/decoded-metaverse