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My definition: The metaverse is the future ecosystem of how and where we experience digital content and communities, with an emphasis on immersion, presence, and creativity.
I recently discovered the podcast “Into the Metaverse” by Bloomberg Intelligence. (Highly recommend if you’re looking for something new to listen to!)
They always start the show with a question for the guest:
What is the metaverse, and even better, what isn’t the metaverse?
“The Metaverse” is so ambiguous right now. Is it a place? Device? Game? Just the next version of the internet?
I think the answer is yes. And no.
Which is part of why I like the framing of that question: What is it, and what isn’t it?
So, I thought I’d answer this question for myself as I continue to learn more about the metaverse today and what the future could bring.
Let’s start with what it’s not, and then I’ll circle back to why I landed on my current definition.
What isn’t the metaverse?
The metaverse is not a single device
This might be the one element I think most of us actually agree on. (Kinda rare these days!)
But I think it’s still worth mentioning that to truly create a metaverse that’s accessible, approachable, and adopted by most of society, it cannot be tied to a single type of device.
Phones. Headsets. Desktops. Tablets. Glasses. Heck, probably even smart watches.
All of these devices (and some that don’t even exist today) should be able to access the metaverse in some way to allow consumers to engage with digital content.
The metaverse is not just video games
There’s the idea that the metaverse is “the internet built by game developers,” which I actually like quite a bit.
But for people who don’t play games, I worry this gets a little too close to “So it’s just a video game.”
While I believe gaming will be an incredibly successful piece of the metaverse (and one that I’ll personally enjoy quite a bit!) I think there’s much more to it than that.
I see so much opportunity for training and education. This idea that people from all over (from many devices!) can access interactive, repeatable content in order to learn new skills.
I haven’t done the actual research on this yet, but I’m curious about the waste impact of this as well. By increasing digital training, is the increase in energy worth the potential decrease of physical waste previously required for the training?
Let’s take painting for example, a hobby I’ve always respected. I could go out and buy all the supplies (paint, brushes, canvases) but then I’d probably throw a lot away, as my art won’t be worth anything while I’m just learning.
But with a VR headset, I can practice over and over in Tiltbrush — for just the single cost of the headset and the app.
We’ll have to see, but I think there’s potential here to decrease waste and be a little kinder to the environment.
The metaverse is not Ready Player One
Call me an optimist, but I believe we can build an incredible digital experience without letting our real-world environment go to complete shit.
Yes, we have a long way to go in terms of fighting climate change. That whole topic is for another day.
But I don’t think we’ll get so wrapped up in the metaverse that we start to completely disregard our physical environment and real-life communities, like the world of Ready Player One.
I think we can build something that enhances our existence and encourages creativity, without sacrificing real-world connection, whether that’s to people, places, or things.
So, what is the metaverse?
The metaverse is for everyone, by everyone
There is no single device, company, brand, game, app, experience, etc. that owns the metaverse or how we experience it.
I think we’ll treat it almost like its own society. Where we collectively define new movements, language, and digital ways to interact and find connections.
And while I firmly believe it will encourage a booming economy, I think a core tenant of the metaverse is that a large portion of it will always be open.
Right now, I think it feels slightly gated behind expensive VR/AR hardware, but as the technology continues to improve, we’ll start to see the experiences become more accessible at lower price points or even distributed through public systems like schools.
The metaverse is meant to be shared
I have no doubt that you’ll always be able to experience the metaverse by yourself. Single-player games aren’t going anywhere, and as more productivity apps begin to launch, I think we’ll see an increase in people “working in VR to focus” just like you might currently “work in VR to collaborate.”
But overall, I think a large portion of the metaverse will be centered around sharing experiences. That could include inviting your friends into your moment, streaming content, sharing digital assets. (Maybe NFTs…not going there yet.)
I think this concept will be critical to helping the metaverse take off, as well. The more user-generated content games, apps, and experiences can encourage, the more the community can promote what’s possible in the metaverse and help grow adoption.
The metaverse is in the moment
Last, but certainly not least, I think the metaverse has this interesting opportunity to ground us in the present.
Yes, it might be a digital or semi-digital moment in time, but one that promotes being focused on the now.
To see, feel, and experience the most of the metaverse, you’ll need to pay attention and be actively engaged. I find it hard to believe that we’ll endlessly scroll in the metaverse quite like we do on our phones today — something about that feels easier with a 2d experience, but maybe that’s wishful thinking.
When you put that all together, here’s my complete definition:
The metaverse is the future ecosystem of how and where we experience digital content and communities, with an emphasis on immersion, presence, and creativity.
I have no plans on staying too attached to this definition for long. I have a feeling this industry is going to move fast, and I’m excited to continue challenging my own perception as well as the industry in terms of what we’re building and why.
But for now, I feel pretty good about this direction, and am excited to see where the metaverse goes in 2022!
What do you think? What’s your own definition of the metaverse? What is or isn’t it? Feel free to share in the comments or find me on Twitter.
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