Facebook is bringing its “metaverse” concept, which it introduced earlier this summer, to life. The internet behemoth revealed this week that it plans to hire 10,000 workers across the European Union to work on the platform’s development. This technical method has been hailed as the next step in online networking, incorporating virtual and augmented reality elements. In a blog post, the business claimed, “We’re developing what’s frequently referred to as the metaverse – a new era of interconnected virtual experiences employing technologies like virtual and augmented reality.”
“At its core is the premise that by fostering a stronger sense of “virtual presence,” online interaction may become much more similar to in-person interaction.”
Author Neal Stephenson invented the word metaverse in his science fiction novel Snow Crash published in 1992; it is a successor to the Internet in his fiction and the virtual environment- where humans connect through avatars. It has called the Street and 100-meter-wide road that circles a featureless planet. The OASIS, as depicted in Ernest Cline’s novel Ready Player One and Steven Spielberg’s following film, is a fictitious version of this technology. By hooking in and using a headset, people can engage in a shared online area. Now it appears that life is truly imitating art.
Unlike the existing web, the metaverse, as it is currently built, will be a virtual three-dimensional world where individuals interact with an online environment. The COVID-19 epidemic has highlighted the need for a realistic, practical, and entertaining distant connection, providing a fresh impetus to invest in developing a virtual environment in which people can study, work, and play. In addition, the groundwork for this potentially transformative new phase of our online experience is already in place.
In July, CEO Mark Zuckerberg told The Verge that the company would transition from a social network company to a metaverse corporation in the next five years, which is when they aim to hire 10,000 new employees. There are companies who claim to have already established themselves in the metaverse, primarily gaming developers such as Roblox and Epic Games’ Fortnite, which provide platforms that allow for more than just their gaming functionalities. Ariana Grande recently held a virtual concert in Fortnite, which drew in millions of viewers.
However, switching the entire Internet to a new mode will necessitate new infrastructure, which will not be simple. Facebook does not want to be in charge of the metaverse, but it does want to be at the forefront of it.
“The metaverse will not be owned or operated by a single company. Its fundamental characteristic, like the Internet, will be its openness and interoperability. In a Facebook post, Nick Clegg and Javier Olivan said, “Bringing this to reality will require teamwork and cooperation among firms, developers, creators, and policymakers.” People that are interested in interacting with online information in a completely different way will need to build a metaverse, which is easier said than done. The metaverse revolution may accelerated by the events of the last two years and the success of platforms like Fortnite, but whether this virtual reality becomes reality remains to be seen.
