The term metaverse, coined by Neal Stephenson in the 1992 cult novel Snow Crush, refers to a convergence of physical, augmented and virtual reality in a shared online space. In recent years, the definition has been enriched to include key characteristics, such as those set out in a fundamental article from the early 2020s by venture capitalist Matthew Bell. A multiverse must traverse the real and virtual world, must contain a fully developed economy and offer complete interoperability. This means that no company can own it, only inhabit it – the ultimate dream of Oasis in the 2011 sci-fi novel Reading Player One after the defeat of the multinational IOI who wanted to take control of it. At a time when Facebook is not in excellent health or reputation, under attack in the United States where new regulations on tech could force it to separate from Instagram and Whatsapp, the presentation of an ambitious project sends a message of optimism towards a progress that cannot be stopped. It is no coincidence that in 2014 Zuckerberg decided to acquire the VR device manufacturer Oculus for 2 billion dollars, with the hope of integrating virtual reality into a universe connected to Facebook where you can play games, watch movies, but also meet via avatars in some ” squares “social. Not much progress has been made in recent years, but Zuckerberg’s speech makes it clear that the dream has not stalled: Facebook, in the words of its founder, will pass from the status of a social media company to a metaverse company over the next few years. “We are not talking about being present on the internet, but about being present in person in digital spaces” Zuckerberg specified, hypothesizing a decentralized world in which physical distances are canceled, both in work, in education and in leisure, but without the coldness of experience through a screen. Revenues for Facebook, Zuckerberg explained to analysts, will not come from hardware. “Our business model will not derive from the sale of devices at premium prices, our goal is rather to reach as many people as possible”. The aim will therefore be to make VR headsets as affordable as possible so that people can access the metaverse and become part of its economy. Avatars, digital clothing and accessories, apps, content: there is a world of intangibles ready to be purchased. A bit like it already happens in video games like Minecraft and Fortnite, but with a plus: “Much of the metaverse experience” explained Zuckerberg “comes from the ability to bring your goods and purchases with you from one experience to another” and added “It will be the closest thing to teleportation that we can experience.” How long it will take for the metaverse to become a reality is yet to be seen: certainly we are talking about years, even if Facebook is investing, according to estimates, about 5 billion a year in the development of software and related technologies.
1 thought on “Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse”
Comments are closed.
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=012321d2-9562-40cf-ba57-2d128cd11b40
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=c12a3df9-efb6-4eaf-a9b8-05d7034f6945
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=ca69134d-106d-47fc-b215-08a0acc4b2dd
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=504c0452-cb0f-4a47-8111-c301b49ad7d3
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=ae9229a0-e6f9-4323-834a-80fd4a3232cd
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=1a0e1122-ad6d-442c-a016-e9220a7529f8
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=6ae34e6a-6bb1-4686-8c61-81aa84bc51a2
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=7369bcfe-727d-457a-9f28-42275e6d6357
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=3634fe30-751b-4275-84c1-d3c18e081859
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=bdb18bd6-9600-41e1-9c79-c05905aaceb3
https://connect.isa.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=7fc1c9c2-e2b3-4146-9a2d-fef08e74fcaf
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=1d7b0666-8ae5-454b-9dc8-e71a3eb3cec7
https://connect.isa.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=add24add-897f-4508-b6e0-80ef80edb5c3
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=7b88be22-f6b0-4fba-b685-33a6d4aa6750
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=c8850a2a-2def-4e33-928c-d4c205afce9f
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=5177835b-b2e4-4d77-9d4c-3fefd68c6c6c
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=8f88ac45-c408-43d0-84ef-1055968d6675
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=7d4d764f-47b0-46b5-ba3f-cde45fa7f95c
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=387d5fd6-f6b9-4c8b-8a1b-e7e53c2caed2
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=402a0ea9-691a-46cc-b284-707d6886633a
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=6b33b622-bd6f-4013-9b2d-546b1bd21550
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=335674fb-41c6-4912-879b-d292dd5d578b
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=9921c465-4c63-4957-96a4-9e8bfb7df18c
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=b1cdffdf-9c47-43df-a4a1-7fa753b080f1
https://connect.ohnurses.org/profile?UserKey=0af26acb-bb1e-40a4-88a0-6c96db10c6de