Metaverse

The metaverse is a portmanteau of "meta" (transcending) and "universe". It is a universal and immersive virtual world, or a network of virtual worlds with people connected socially, facilitated by the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). In this virtual world, billions of people live, work, shop, learn and interact with each other - all from the comfort of their couches in the physical world.

The 2003 virtual world platform Second Life is often described as the first metaverse, as it incorporated many aspects of social media into a persistent 3D world with the user represented as an avatar. Social interaction and 3D virtual worlds are often an integral feature in many massively multiplayer online games. World of Warcraft, for example, is a persistent virtual world where players can buy and sell goods. Virtual worlds such as Fortnite can be accessed through PCs, game consoles, and phones.

In 2021 Facebook was renamed "Meta Platforms" and declared a company commitment to developing a metaverse.

The metaverse is coming to Microsoft Teams, which lets Teams users in different physical locations join collaborative and shared holographic experiences during virtual meetings.

Proposed applications for metaverse technology include improving work productivity, interactive learning environments, e-commerce, mass-audience interaction, real estate, and fashion. Metaverse implementations may rely on digital currencies, and often cryptocurrency.

Technologies used to build metaverses will include: artificial intelligence, internet of things, extended reality, brain-computer interfaces, 3D modeling and reconstruction, spatial and edge computing, and blockchain.