In recent ‘covid’ times, working from home and through a screen has increasingly become the norm for many companies. Choosing to go virtual is something that has been made easier for businesses in the digital age. Everyday conversations have moved to platforms such as Zoom or Teams and standard office conversations are now organised via invite. We are continually becoming more immersed as the virtual world expands and society is spending more time in virtual social spaces every day. Online gaming environments such as Fortnite help create social experiences that feel as real as interactions in the physical world[1]. Games like this are particularly popular with the younger generations.
The concept of virtual reality – where humans can interact in digital environments – has existed for over 25 years[2]. Anyone that has ever experienced virtual reality will understand how easy it is to become immersed in a world that isn’t our own. Tech enthusiasts believed – off the back of virtual reality – that they could centralise the virtual world into a place parallel to the physical world[3]. Neal Stephenson first coined the term Metaverse (meaning beyond universe) in his 1992 novel snow crash[4]. Beyond gaming environments such as Roblox and Fortnite, or social platforms such as Zoom and Teams, the Metaverse was conceptualised as an open-ended virtual world, parallel to the physical world.
The Metaverse is being called the next generation of the internet[5] with endless opportunities to conduct everyday life through this world. The metaverse creates a world that overlaps socialising, shopping, wealth, work, and entertainment all in a digital sphere[6]. The overlap of virtual reality and social platforms allows users to be fully immersed into a sphere of technology parallel to their lives and the lives of those around them.
Companies are continuing their efforts to embrace digital adaptations to make the working day easier. Could the immersive opportunities and simplicity of the Metaverse be the future of work? Big brand names such as Gym Shark shared their first meeting in the Metaverse online where colleagues could virtually interact face to face[7] – via virtual reality and 3D avatars placing them in the same environment. Similarly, companies such as Nike have created a fully immersive Nike Land in which users can walk around an immersive virtual shop.
It seems that the sphere of what defines an office space, or a shop is being expanded with the expanding digital world. The faces we see weekly on our Zoom calls may soon feel a lot closer – albeit in the form of a 3D avatar – as meetings once again can have a face-to-face element to them. Considering the significant reduction in companies carbon footprints through cutting travel costs[8] – the metaverse seems to be the most logical choice. For companies that have already started taking steps in moving to virtual platforms this could be the next step in connecting people together.
[1] Clark, P., 2022. What Is the Metaverse and Why Should I Care?. [online] Time. Available at: <https://time.com/6116826/what-is-the-metaverse/> [Accessed 24 February 2022].
[2] Collins, C., 2008. Looking to the Future: Higher Education in the Metaverse. EDUCASE Review, [online] 43(5), pp.1-5. Available at: <http://www.uh.cu/static/documents/RDA/Looking%20to%20the%20future.pdf> [Accessed 24 February 2022].
[3] Clark, P., 2022. What Is the Metaverse and Why Should I Care?. [online] Time. Available at: <https://time.com/6116826/what-is-the-metaverse/> [Accessed 24 February 2022].
[4] Stephenson, N. and Kodaj, D., 1992. Snow crash. Budapest: Metropolis Media.
[5] Virk, R., 2022. The Metaverse Is Coming: We May Already Be in It. [online] Scientific American. Available at: <https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-metaverse-is-coming-we-may-already-be-in-it/> [Accessed 28 February 2022].
[6] Clark, P., 2022. What Is the Metaverse and Why Should I Care?. [online] Time. Available at: <https://time.com/6116826/what-is-the-metaverse/> [Accessed 24 February 2022].
[7] Iddenden, G., 2022. WATCH: Gymshark executives hold meeting in the metaverse – Latest Retail Technology News From Across The Globe – Charged. [online]. Available at: <https://www.chargedretail.co.uk/2022/01/11/watch-gymshark-executives-hold-meeting-in-the-metaverse/> [Accessed 28 February 2022].
[8] Clark, P., 2022. What Is the Metaverse and Why Should I Care?. [online] Time. Available at: <https://time.com/6116826/what-is-the-metaverse/> [Accessed 24 February 2022].
