The metaverse has become the hottest buzzword in tech.
Silicon Valley big brains are suddenly obsessed with building virtual spaces spanning digital and physical domains.
And theres Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, whos excited about the potential of an (urgh)enterprise metaverse.
It feels like everything is now part of the metaverse: VR games?
You bet your sweet ass.
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One reason why so many people are heavily plugging the metaverse is that the concept is so nebulous.
What is the metaverse?
Tech titans fromJeff Bezosto Google cofounderSergey Brinreportedly revere his vision.
(I presume theyre also inspired by Stephensons depiction of a collapsing US government replaced by corporations.)
The wide use of the term is unsurprising.
Visions of the metaverse encompass an enormous range of virtual experiences and assets.
Its easy to jump on such a broad bandwagon.
Reality meets expectations
The main reason for the explosion of interest is, of course, money.
The metaverse could provide multiple new avenues for generating revenue, from selling virtual goods to inserting immersive ads.
The New York Times Erin Griffith succinctly described the hype cycle on Twitter.
Technological advances in fields like VR andAIare rapidly making virtual worlds more immersive and layered.
Their escapist appeal has also grown during pandemic restrictions.
In the short term, however, buzzwords rarely live up to the hype.
But once the underlying tech matures, effective strategies develop, and realistic objectives emerge?
It has the potential to be truly transformational.
Just dont expect it to happen overnight.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he e(show all)Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse).
