What is the Metaverse? The Verse Explains.

Get Versed: the metaverse

As Ferris Bueller wisely quipped, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” The same could be said about the barrage of new technologies and associated concepts that seem to live at the fringe of our collective consciousness until they reach mass ubiquity. Such was the case with the “metaverse,” a term now under consideration by Merriam-Webster thanks to fast fame via a dubious rebrand at Facebook (known henceforth as Meta) and dovetailed announcements from Microsoft and Nike about their own plans for the digital world. With “get versed,” we aim to help you get schooled up, with working knowledge to engage with confidence in office, dinner table or barside chatter. We’ll start with making sense of the metaverse.

The definition.

To paraphrase Meta (er, Facebook)—it’s complicated. Our friends at Morning Brew break it down: “The metaverse is a complex topic to describe, even for experts, but roughly speaking it’s a world where people work, shop, play and do everything else they normally do IRL—just in digital form.” We also appreciated this Twitter thread. 

The origin story.

According to Wikipedia, the term metaverse was coined in speculative fiction writer Neal Stephenson's 1992 novel Snow Crash, where humans, as avatars, interact with each other and software agents, in a three-dimensional virtual space that uses the metaphor of the real world. Read: a sort of virtual reality to succeed the internet. Many also associate the term with the 2011 novel (and 2018 film of the same name), Ready Player One, where the physical world has become so problematic that people escape to a metaverse called OASIS via a virtual reality headset. 

Why now?

First, we have technological progress to thank, in the areas of virtual reality, augmented reality, gaming and even cryptocurrency—and the convergence of all of the above. But many believe you can also thank COVID for this one. Nearly two years since setting up our lives in virtual spaces, it follows that we have a shared desire for better digital experiences, for both work and play.

What the superfans are saying.

It’s. going. to. be. AWESOME. Imagine sending your digital twin to a virtual meeting instead of another awkward Zoom. That concert you want to go to (without leaving your couch)? Not a problem. Things get pretty heady from there: digital makers selling digital goods, owning digital land and generally living in a digital, egalitarian utopia. We don’t know if we’re terrified or exhilarated.

What the haters are hating.

Not so fast—you gave us the same sales pitch about the internet. Now imagine all that hate speech and misinformation with even more virtual heft and credence. 

Extra credit reading.

What in the heck is the metaverse?

Facebook wants to lean into the metaverse. Here's what it is and how it will work.

Why jumping into the metaverse could be a bad idea

What parents need to know about the coming metaverse 

The metaverse is simply big tech, but bigger