The 'World Wide Web' once held a sense of wonder. In a small Scottish town, on my bi-weekly trips to my local public library, I'd type out the addresses of webpages I'd scribbled on scraps of paper gleaned from TV and comic advertisements. It felt like prospecting; every web page was a clue within a worldwide scavenger hunt. The same excitement to explore and contribute is not what it once was. New generations are unlikely to surf an 'internet super highway' of static text and interlaced pictures. Perhaps that same enthusiasm is once again on the horizon for 'Adventures in the Metaverse'.
When hot topic cultural terms such as 'The Metaverse' invade industry spaces, professional derision can sometimes leave it feeling like only a domain only for the naive. Professionals often strike down hyperbole to show their understanding of technical nuance. Yet, veterans need to accept responsibility in plotting a vision for generations to come. Accessibility to digital information is still deserving of reverence.
Metaverse and Web3 are the "successor states" to the internet as we know it today. Everyone with strategy & budget responsibilities with a view 5 years or more requires an informed opinion. 'The Metaverse' by Matthew Ball challenged many of my preconceptions. As a result, I've come away with a newfound respect for the term 'Metaverse' and the architects stepping up to its early challenges of incorporation.
"Web3 does not require 3D, real-time rendered, or synchronous experiences, while the Metaverse does not require decentralisation, distributed databases, or blockchains .. (Web3) is about societal formation and governance + (Metaverse) is about technology and its proliferation." - Matthew Ball, VC/author of 'The Metaverse'
Spotify Co-founder Daniel Ek posited that the web, until now, has been translating physical into virtual; what we'd once buy as a hardware device like an alarm clock is now an app. Now in the Metaverse, we're tasked with producing 3D alarm clocks. Those with the most experience - are game developers. I didn't quite realise how the gaming industry and notably Fortnight & Roblox were not just informing the creative design principles and building the underlying technologies of the "next-generation internet" but also serving as the Metaverse's economic precedent.
Whatever it is, your concern is required.
A Metaverse is coming, its infrastructure, politics, communities and dependent markets will take at least 5-10 years to build. You can roll your eyes from the bylines or get into the trenches and help build towards your ideals.
"it promises to exist as a parallel plane for human leisure, labour, and existence. Therefore, the philosophies, culture, and priorities of the companies that lead in the Metaverse era will help determine whether the future is better or worse than our current moment, rather than just more virtual or remunerative. ..An ever-growing share of our lives, labour, leisure, wealth, happiness, and relationships will be spent inside virtual worlds, rather than just extended or aided through digital devices and software. It will be a parallel plane of existence" - Matthew Ball, VC/author of 'The Metaverse'
"the economy in the Metaverse . . [will] be larger than .. the physical world" - Jensen Huang, CEO/Co-Founder of Nvidia
"If one central company gains control .., they will become more powerful than any government and be a God on Earth" - Tim Sweeney, Co-Founder of Epic
Embrace the Metaverse vision
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