What is the metaverse?

Metaverse: the preamble

In this article, we take a compensated travelling shot at a topical issue that is only at the beginning of its career as the future star of all the clusters in which we all work at SQORUS: the metaverse.

Here, we humbly attempt to provide a few keys to information on this “Ready Player One” (Spielberg, 2018) mode, which is no longer the adaptation of a short story into a film that has impressed, amused and touched several generations.

So, via subjectively selected sources – from innovation experts to popularizers, but also contradicts – we first propose a definition of this new environment that is the metaverse, necessarily ending with that of Meta (Facebook).

The metaverse: what are we talking about?

Metavers is a French acronym for ” metaverse ” – announced and publicized by Mark Zuckerberg, and coined by author Neal Stephenson as early as 1992 – which is already a contraction of ” meta universe “.

Here’s how the term is constructed with a little etymology and lexicology:

• On the one hand we have ‘meta‘, a prefix that comes from the Greek μετά: ‘after, beyond, with’. This prefix ” expresses at once reflection, change, succession, going beyond, beside, between, or with. ” (Wikipedia)
• On the other, ‘verses‘: don’t think of the poet’s best friends here, but of the contraction of the word ‘universe’.

By association, we obtain: ” beyond the universe ” or ” parallel universe “.

These translations may seem (voluntarily) superlative: we think they are finally acceptable, since Quantum Physics and Research on the Universe (the real one) have pushed back the limits of the simple conceivable (cf. conferences of Christophe Galfard for example).

“Selected pieces of metaverse definitions

The metaverse according to Innovation Makers Alliance

At Innovation Makers Alliance (IMA), the metaverse is ” a virtual, immersive digital universe where users evolve asavatars, backed by colossal human and financial resources “. In his preface to the digital deliverable “ Exploration in metavers and Web3 “, Philippe Kerignard adds that ” the concept of metavers encompasses many uses, extremely diverse and of a rare richness “.

The metaverse according to Futura Sciences

Futura Sciencesin its efforts to popularize the concept, explains what defines Metavers:

• Immersion: with this first condition, the connection with VR is palpable
• The permanence and openness of the said universe: the metaverse must be reachable by anyone, anytime. We think here by extension to a customization of the ATAWADAC dear to the training of today where theavatar is the novelty, a version of ourselves that must be able to leave this universe as quickly and freely as it entered.
• The permanence of the universe and sustainable elements: we need to be able to find, in this parallel universe, open all the time, for everyone (individuals, organizations) elements (geographical environment, real estate and furniture, works and possessions, vehicles, etc.) that we can also find permanently: another thought for the “Spielbergian Oasis”.

The metaverse according to METAMANDRILL

METAMANDRILL METAMANDRILL site is an interesting gateway to the subject. The site takes time to address:

• the visions – known and unknown – of what these giants not only have, but are also preparing and aiming for through this evolution of the Internet as we know it
• the ” Metaverse Guide” , which offers a more in-depth immersion of an article (already well researched) presenting an “aggregate” definition of the metaverse. These include:
  • the (general) mention of tools: ” VR headsets, hololens, game consoles and even applications “;
  • a form of definition curation with 9 different versions of the meaning of metaverse via other online blogs or news publications;
  • verbatims in images of “points of view” from several CEOs.

Metaverse according to Meta

Finally, Metagives us a complete introduction to the metaverse through its founder: ” The next platform will be even more immersive – an embodied Internet where you are in theexperience, not just watching it. We call it the metaverse, and it will affect every product we build.

In the metaverse, you’ll be able to do almost anything you can imagine – get together with friends and family, work, learn, play, store, create – as well as completely new experiences that don’t really fit in with the way we think about computers or phones today ” (translated) Mark Zuckerberg.

The anti-hero of “The Social Network” (Fincher, 2010), who thus seems to envision the new Internet – or at least its next stage of evolution – adds that people will be able to ” instantly teleport themselves as holograms ” from wherever they want (from the living room to the office or university) before adding, ” You’ll go through these experiences on different devices – augmented reality glasses to stay present in the physical world, virtual reality to be fully immersed, and phones and computers to jump from existing platforms.”

” It’s not about spending more time on screens; it’s about improving the time we already spend. ” The metaverse will not be created by a single company. It will be built by creators and developers creating new experiences and interoperable digital elements unlocking a creative economy massively larger than that constrained by today’s platforms and their policies ” (translated) Mark Zuckerberg.

Conclusion

To conclude this first part, the metaverse is a new environment that enhances the way people interact with each other and the spaces they create.

It has great potential for businesses, but also carries some risks… What are the first controversies around the metaverse? What should we understand? This is what we’ll see in the second part, dedicated to the metaverse controversies.

If you are interested in the subject of innovation, the SQORUS teams are here to help you. Do not hesitate to contact us to discuss it.