By Naseerah Nanabhai
10:06:2022

Speaking about the Metaverse is much like talking about the internet in the 70s and 80s. Many people are unaware of its characteristics as much speculation exists around what it is precise, what are its uses and its safety in the Metaverse.

The term metaverse originated in science fiction and referred to a hypothetical iteration of the internet as a single, universal and immersive virtual world that was meant to be facilitated by virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) headsets.

We can understand the Metaverse as a 3D model of the internet. Essentially, a space parallel to the physical world, where you might spend your simulated life. In this space, you and others would have an avatar that allows you to interreact with each other.

The Metaverse fits snuggly in the vagaries caused by the fourth industrial revolution. It has a high-value projection, and because of this, it is hyped as a major player in growing the digital economy. Metaverse is already seen as the future of entertainment, fashion and gaming-experts; argue that its best-case use will likely be for education.

Despite its super cool features and futuristic elements, there are concerns about the Metaverse in general – many of which relate to safety inside this cyber world. Many digital privacy experts say it would be the ultimate surveillance tool.

So will we be living in the Metaverse any time soon? The answer is yes, but we may not be entirely in this parallel world yet. Experts believe that many people will be in the Metaverse by 2030. But despite the current obsession with it, the idea still needs a lot of work. There is also no guarantee that people will want to hang out in the Metaverse.

Perhaps people will reside in the Metaverse occasionally; they might enjoy putting on VR goggles but don’t keep them on for very long. Or, maybe, we’ll laugh at the concept of a cyber world, thinking how naive people were to have explored the rise of a so-called metaverse.