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Meta Digital Marketing - Epileum London

Metaverse: Have We Seen This Before?

Whilst some people are still unaware of what the Metaverse is, others believe that this concept has already been seen before and currently exists on other hugely successful platforms.

When Facebook changed its holding name to Meta back in 2021, Mark Zuckerberg revealed that the rebrand is part of the company’s efforts to stray away from being known as just a social media company. Zuckerberg’s plans to build a ‘Metaverse’ will enable people to join in using a variety of technology and interact with one another using an avatar which is created by the individual.

The word ‘Metaverse’ is now defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as a “virtual-reality space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users”. However, the concept has been around for a lot longer than you think. The concept was first used in 1992 in a science fiction novel called Snow Crash. The novel is based in a virtual world where avatars can interact… sound familiar? Well, that’s because online communities have existed for many years. The game World of Warcraft became a social scene for millions around the world in the early 2000s and even today many younger generations enjoy logging onto Fortnite and socialising with their peers within the game.

Why is the Metaverse different?

Although social interactions online have been seen before, the Metaverse is the next evolution of these types of social connections. Virtual and Augmented reality, new technologies that plan to help people connect and explore in the Metaverse are already being developed. Also, wearable smart glasses are planned to become the gateways into the Metaverse. The first-generation smart glasses will allow you to listen to music, capture videos and photos and share with others via the Facebook View app.

So, although there are some similarities with pre-existing Metaverse-like platforms, there’s still potential for Mark Zuckerberg to change the VR landscape. Only time will tell…

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