The term comes from science fiction author Neal Stephenson,who in 1992 imagined the metaverse as an evolution of the internet,where virtual reality gave people the ability to explore interconnected digital sites as though they were worlds.
Proto-metaverses already exist in the gaming space. Look at Roblox or Fortnite,where users log into a single virtual space but have access to tools for creation and sharing,are exposed to sponsored brands and advertisements,can enjoy live music festivals and other entertainment,and so on. There’s also Core,an online game designed explicitly to act as a metaverse for interactive experiences,the latest of which is an immersive music installation from artist Deadmau5.
Loading
But the biggest of the big tech companies are hoping to take the idea to an entirely different level,building standards and platforms that could house everything a web-user could want or need within a single virtual universe that they control.
Microsoft,Google and Tencent have all used the term in the context of their future efforts,but Facebook looks to be going first and fastest. Foreshadowing the rumoured rebranding,founder Mark Zuckerberg said in August that he wants users to stop thinking of Facebook as a social media company,and start thinking of it as a metaverse company.
Facebook’s supposed name change will likely be designed to separate the parent company from its namesake social network,just like Google changing its name to Alphabet,while its flagship products are still branded Google. And if you look at the various businesses and services currently under the Facebook banner,you can get an idea of what it believes a “metaverse company” (whatever it will be called) looks like.
Zuckerberg’s empire includes Facebook and Instagram as platforms for the algorithmic dissemination of news,advertising and updates from influencers,friends and family. Then there’s Messenger and WhatsApp as private ways for people (and yes,brands) to communicate or do business. Meanwhile,Oculus is building virtual reality technology that is increasingly affordable,portable and tethered to the wider Facebook ecosystem and there’s also Portal for telepresence and pseudo-face-to-face conversation.