Emergence and endurance of the metaverse

Over the past two and a half years, we’ve seen a surge in the popularity and spread of new digital experiences in the nascent metaverse. There, consumers are transported into a virtual world that mimics real-world experiences using cutting-edge virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and more.

Beyond the hype and across industries, there is real opportunity and staying power for Metaverse skills. In fact, Gartner recently named the Metaverse one of their top five emerging trends and technologies. The 3D and immersive nature of the technology underpins the Metaverse, unlocking new ways of working, communicating, learning, playing and living.

As network technology continues to expand, its speed and power will allow massive amounts of data to move back and forth between cloud servers and devices, creating experiences like we’ve never seen before. Here are some ways the metaverse will become part of our lives.

Gamification of our everyday life

The Metaverse represents the next generation of digital experiences. Users can interact unlimitedly within a virtual community, from meeting colleagues to owning land (digitally, of course).

While games have been around for decades, we’re only now beginning to get a sense of the breadth of the metaverse and gamification. For example, games like 30 Helios (a narrative mobile AR adventure) use a kind of 3D hologram to offer users a new perspective on mobile entertainment. Here, your mobile device is the portal to the Metaverse. Players move around in an augmented version of their actual physical space (house, apartment, office) to hack “glitches” in their space; Once the glitches are hacked, more narratives will be unlocked.

Committed companies

Enterprises rely on the Metaverse to leverage experiences far beyond gaming for a variety of purposes. This includes simulated job training, sales and marketing roles for a variety of industries, and even things like aircraft design, simulation, and urban planning.

We could even imagine a world where information is delivered to users in real-time using AI algorithms. Take the process of renting or buying an apartment. A user could walk the streets of New York City and, through the use of glasses, be connected to a real estate application that shows them in real-time (via AI) which buildings have apartments for rent and connects them to a brokerage right here and there .

A new way of travelling

Imagine what it would be like to travel the world without investing too much money or time or even having a fear of flying. In the Metaverse, AR and VR can enable users to explore countries, cities and destinations they have always dreamed of visiting. As the metaverse evolves, users experience more and more advanced multi-sensory experiences along the way – and so the idea of ​​virtual tourism expands.

Virtual tourism means access for people of all backgrounds and abilities to almost any place, personalized guest experiences and unparalleled entertainment. Users could experience immersive museum tours, taste wines from France and climb the highest mountains.

The city of Madrid recently launched a free 360-degree virtual tour for curious tourists, allowing them to make informed decisions about what to see when visiting in person. This virtual tour covers around 40 of the Spanish city’s most popular tourist attractions, including museums, squares, gardens, cathedrals and a variety of different cultural institutions.

Technology could eventually allow us to travel to landmarks of the past, like the Colosseum at the height of its fame or Pompeii before the volcanic eruption.

Like the Madrid Virtual Tour, these types of Metaverse platforms could also serve as a jumping off point for travelers who then plan to book a personalized trip based on their favorite Metaverse experiences.

How the Metaverse can build a future accessible to all

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are areas where the metaverse could have a significant impact in creating a more accessible future.

According to the CDC, an estimated 61 million people live with a disability in the United States. For many of these people, the metaverse can offer solutions to everyday challenges. For example, visually impaired users can benefit from high color contrast. People with hearing problems could benefit from real-time subtitles and captions. People with cognitive challenges may benefit from using shapes, colors, and images to convey ideas. Legally blind people could benefit from technologies like 3D audio echolocation while exploring 3D worlds.

Trust, security, and privacy are issues developers need to keep in mind as they code the digital path forward. In the metaverse, we essentially have a group of strangers who come together and interact with each other in a variety of ways. It is important to measure the extent of negative interactions, such as e.g. sharing false information. Designing environments and experiences in which everyone will thrive is an important consideration for developers.

Ultimately, the metaverse enhances the physical world and the interactions that keep our human connections strong. While we’ve seen massive growth and expansion over the past few years, we’ve only just scratched the surface of what’s possible.

Frank Boulben is chief revenue officer for Verizon Consumer Group.