The impact of the metaverse on digital in the future
Although the past few years have been marked by several major crises, the fact remains that we have seen some announcements that arouse curiosity in some and enthusiasm in others. In October 2021, the boss of Meta, ex-Facebook, announced the launch of the metaverse, a purely virtual world. This news continues to spill a lot of ink as several questions arise around this technology. The latter is already becoming part of our habits through certain tools we use. The question we are now asking ourselves is what the impact is on the way we do things in this era where digital dominates on all fronts. We will try to answer them in this article.
Metaverse: what is it?
If you have already read the novel Snow crash» by Neal Stephenson or seen the movie Done player one , the metaverse is a technology that you will soon begin to perceive. It is inspired by science fiction and presented by Marc Zuckerberg as a virtual world where you can do anything. In its contracted form, metavers, “meta” Lake “universe”, represents a fictional, connected and immersive world, in which you can live part of your life through the use of virtual reality headsets and thanks to your 3D avatar.
According to Meta’s boss, this technology will provide more social contacts for its users, regardless of their location. They can go to a concert or work meetings, watch a basketball game, go to a fitness class, or go to a store to shop. The question of its impact on digital in the future is therefore legitimate. To access it, you need mobile electronic devices such as virtual reality headsets or augmented reality glasses.
Metaverse and the future of online games
The online games industry is one of the first industries to be hit hard by the metaverse in the future. For years we have noticed that technologies on which it will be based have entered this industry. We are mainly talking about virtual reality, blockchain, artificial intelligence and augmented reality. With their current contribution to the online games industry, we can already imagine what place the metaverse will occupy. The aim will obviously be to allow the user to be entertained in terrestrial establishments from the comfort of their home. It is true that this has already been done, but with the metaverse the experience will be very different, as it will work directly with its avatar and not simple device controls. To achieve this, the metaverse, in collaboration with online game publishers, must offer a catalog of titles that considers all categories of entertainment options to appeal to all players.
Metaverse casinos will therefore have a toy library of slot machines and variants of blackjack, baccarat and roulette, bingo, poker, video poker and many others. Unlike today’s virtual casinos that offer the option to play with live dealers from smartphones, establishments in the metaverse will allow users to interact directly with dealers and other players, always through their avatars. For example, if you are a fan of table games, you can play roulette for French speakers with your virtual headset or connected glasses. Better yet, you can win real money and even withdraw your winnings like in French online casinos. This will certainly happen thanks to the blockchain technology it will integrate. Cryptocurrencies will therefore be widely used. The only question one could ask is whether the metaverse establishments will be controlled by a specialized institution such as online casinos.
Metaverse and digitization of companies
Since the advent of new technologies, digitization has proven to be the main source of business progress. Reducing costs, production and intervention times, better control over the evolution of data, are all important advancements that the vast majority of companies have experienced. The metaverse is presented as a technology that will revolutionize the global business environment by opening the way to a multitude of opportunities while relying on certain pre-existing digital tools.
As presented, this technology will be a great asset to companies looking to get closer to their customers or modernize customer relationships on all fronts. Major brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci, who have held virtual shows in the past, are already using this. The same goes for game publisher Epic Games who organized a gigantic virtual concert in the middle of the quarantine via Fortnite. This event was seen by over 12 million players and hosted by the famous American rapper Travis Scott. Given the scale that online shopping has taken on in recent years, it’s clear that commercial brands will benefit greatly from the metaverse in the future as well.
For now, online shopping is done through smartphones and other connected devices. Very soon, users of this technology will be able to walk from home, for example, in supermarket shelves, shopping carts, and make purchases. Payment takes place electronically (with the intervention of the blockchain)and when they are ready, they will be delivered to your home. For some, we’re talking about e-commerce now, but we’ll be talking about v-commerce for years to come. With the metaverse, for example, clothing brands will offer their customers the opportunity to consult the characteristics of an item or even try it on remotely before placing the order.
Metavers and virtual work
According to information from the Meta group, the video conferencing of the future is called Horizon Workrooms . It is a virtual workspace where team members can interact and make decisions as they would during regular meetings. You can easily interact with your colleagues with avatars that are very realistic. Everyone’s gestures, facial expressions and voices sound so real you’ll think you’re personal. You can even work on your computer, make projections, go on the internet and do research, etc.
In fact, this immersion will be so total that the world around you will no longer even exist. Horizon Workroomsthen reveals itself as a solution to certain pre-existing problems. For example, a normal video conference requires the user to lock himself in a very isolated place and speak by moving the microphone closer and finding the right angle for the camera. With on the other hand Horizon Workrooms, you don’t have to worry about all its aspects. Users just need to put on their VR headset or smart glasses and they’re done.
However, to access the application Horizon Workrooms , users must have a Facebook account. This is still done through VR headsets and not phones. Note that earlier before Marc Zuckerberg’s announcement of the metaverse project, Microsoft had already focused on a similar technology aimed solely at professional use. It is called ” Mesh for teamsand will be the combination of its Teams software with the virtual features of gauze. It will also replace traditional meeting rooms with purely virtual spaces where you can talk between colleagues without being in the same physical place. Like theHorizon Workroomsgives you access to collaboration tools such as screen sharing or a whiteboard.
Impact of the metaverse on the education sector
Today, it would be indisputable to say that the major new technologies of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence have had a strong impact on the education sector, especially in the field of training and skills development. As happy as they are, each of them has brought something extra to this industry that is becoming increasingly digital. From this point on, we can already imagine that the metaverse will continue to provide groundbreaking education as certain complex subjects require the use of technology. Indeed, users will be able to take advantage of the metaverse to learn faster, but above all to increase the memorization of information.
On the learner’s side, for example, the metaverse will allow them to learn more about highly technical topics, simulate scenarios, or relive an old era. They can even go to class with classmates and communicate to solve certain problems. Thanks to metaverses, they are also given the opportunity to consult libraries or other places of learning. As for trainers, the metaverse allows them to teach courses to students without physical contact.
Teachers will also have the option to chat with their students and communicate with them perfectly. With all this speculation about the metaverse, it’s safe to say that this technology has an intriguing future in store for us, where education and all the other sectors it will impact will see a radical change that could benefit the world’s population. come. . . The question on the lips of some Metaverse users is whether it will affect mental health.
Would the metaverse be dangerous for mental health?
At this point, it would be a bit hasty to say that the metaverse is dangerous to mental health since we haven’t experienced it yet. However, based on what already exists, including social networks and virtual reality, we can say that this technology is likely to cause addiction problems among users. In addition, a study by theRoyal Society for Public Health (RSPH)has historically shown that depression and anxiety have increased by 70% in the 14-24 age group since the advent of social networks. In any case, based on such figures, we can say that the implementation of this technology of the future will have to be accompanied by safeguards to regulate its use.