Will we soon be living in a ‘metaverse’ or will it turn into a sensation?

Imagine: you wake up, eat breakfast, and get dressed. Instead of going to the office or crawling behind your computer, you can wear a headset. It takes you to another virtual world. Where you not only work, but also meet friends, shop and go to the cinema.

So is the case with metaverse Look at the end. You probably didn’t hear that word before this week, but now you’re seeing it pop up more and more often. Facebook caught the eye on Monday Announcing its intention to employ thousands of employees in Europe in the coming years to fully comply with this. The company is not the only one with this ambition.

But what exactly, and why is there so much interest in it—not unimportant—will it change our lives as much as the smartphone? Or is it just a fuss disappearing again?

What it is: Now just a concept

To complicate matters immediately: MetaverseAnd 3D virtual environment does not exist yet. You have to see it as a concept that is often thought of. Incidentally, this has been going on for decades because the word is taken from a book published in 1992: Snowcrash.

“It is seen as the next version of the Internet,” says researcher Zerrin Yumak (Utrecht University). “In the metaverse, you use virtual and augmented reality glasses. The real and virtual worlds will intertwine.”