February 28, 2023

WHAT IS THE METAVERSE – A MANIFESTO

By By Michael Diamond and Elizabeth Haas

The Metaverse is Not:

The metaverse is not about wearing Oculus or clunky glasses and walking around with legless avatars.

The metaverse is not as it appeared in Neil Stephenson’s Snow Craft. It is not an escape world, separated from a bleak world with a broken economy. It doesn’t have to carry social stigmas, restricted environments, and monopoly controls, as described in the book.

Most importantly, it is not beyond today – it is here now.

 

The Metaverse as a Concept

The metaverse is the intersection of physical and digital worlds, enabling synchronous and persistent experiences enjoyed by an unlimited number of users.

The metaverse is a broad social shift that makes the world and our experiences richer – leading to new communities, more creativity, and unlimited content.

The metaverse is an interconnected network that provides an individual sense of presence, a wealth of data, and real-time transactions.

The metaverse is a combination of technological advancements – virtual reality, web3, etc. – created to meet people’s needs for the internet of tomorrow.

The metaverse is about bringing images to life and telling stories with more vitality and fewer constraints than ever.

 

The Metaverse as an Institution

The metaverse is a platform for human relationships that uses unparalleled levels of immersion and personalization to connect people in novel ways. 

The metaverse is a gateway for digital life and transactions, from digital identity infrastructure to virtual marketplaces where NFTs and other virtual goods can be bought in real-time.

The metaverse is a flywheel of human behavior, connecting people beyond space and time to reach new levels of accessibility, trust, and economic growth.

 

The Metaverse as an Aspiration

The metaverse is an opportunity to make the internet more inclusive and accessible, empower new voices, and share new technologies across borders.

The metaverse represents a new frontier of human coordination that will reinvent the meaning of the word “community.”

The metaverse democratizes information and governance by promoting user ownership.


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