[r
Oh, whoa. I didn't see you there.
This, it's all research.
Maybe if you're like me, you're wondering,
what the heck is this metaverse thing?
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Thanks to
the word metaverse seems to have popped up everywhere.
It's
Mega!
-There's a
Just think about it.
-Meta's version of the Metaverse. -Metaverse.
There's humongous value in this concept of the metaverse.
Yikes. That's a lot to take in.
OK, let's just start with the basics.
What is the metaverse?
Turns out that question is not so easy to answer.
So I turned to some experts to help me sort it all out.
My name's Adi Robertson.
I'm a senior reporter at
a wide variety of topics around technology.
My name is Megan Smith.
What I get to do is teach people how to make
immersive experiences.
Hi everyone, I am Annie Zhang
and I am the host of the
as well as a product manager
who's worked in various different companies
building metaverse products.
Metaverse is made up of the prefix meta,
which comes from ancient Greek meaning beyond,
paired with verse from the universe.
It's not necessarily its own separate universe, though.
The metaverse will interact and be a part of
the physical world.
So it's a layering on of new experiences.
And it's not one place or one thing,
but it's a really broad idea.
The metaverse is the way for us to
kind of talk about this future that we imagine
like society to progress to.
It's a future vision of the internet,
where 3D virtual spaces come together
to form a virtual universe.
If you want to get really technical,
it's this sort of big virtual space where people hang out.
But it's not so easy to pin down.
More practically, the metaverse is either whatever people think
comes after the current internet or whatever
ties into the product that they are making or promoting.
Not everyone agrees with what the metaverse is
or what it can be.
But the main idea is virtual worlds that blend together.
In the metaverse people will be able to work,
game, shop, travel, go to school.
You're probably thinking this metaverse thing
sounds a lot like movies and TV shows I watch.
Think the virtual reality holodeck in
or the augmented reality of the holograms in
[beeping]
Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi.
A lot of people see the world of
the movie and the novel, as a version of the metaverse.
I mean, just look at all the ways A.R., V.R.,
and the metaverse are showcased.
OK, but even though the metaverse is a vision
of the future, it's not pure science fiction.
There are ways that it already exists.
Think
Even Justin Bieber is getting into the metaverse game.
♪ I got my peaches out in Georgia ♪
♪ I get my -- from California ♪
And kids like you and me, we are expected to be the generation
to bring the metaverse to life.
Kids are driving the metaverse.
I think kids really need to take the concept seriously
because they are going to be the ones that
define the future of the metaverse.
There is a total possibility the things we think of as being
metaverse engagement are things that are totally natural
to people who are young right now
and feel alien to people who are older.
The best thing at this stage is to learn, absorb,
build opinions, and think critically about it.
Building a new internet and virtual worlds,
it's all really exciting.
But of course, with any new technology
comes new problems and new fears.
It can be almost a little bit dystopian when you're thinking
about a future where everyone's just plugged in and immersed
into these virtual worlds at all times.
Some people are worried about who will own
and set the rules in the metaverse.
With big players like
racing to launch new metaverse products,
could a few big companies control this new world?
How do we build that space without having one company
or another having a monopoly over it?
Many people in the metaverse space
are calling for more regulation to prevent scams, crime,
and harassment in the virtual world.
It's kind of the Wild West right now.
But other people see the metaverse
as a decentralized place where communities and individuals
define how things are run.
So what do you think the metaverse
could look like in the future?
Who knows, maybe you'll be the one creating it.
Well, that's it for
For
There was a lot of behind the scenes work and research
that went into making this video.
First off, I'd like to thank Megan Smith,
Annie Zhang, and Adi Robertson.
In addition, I used reporting from websites like
Reuters, Slate, Forbes,
We also used information from Facebook, Microsoft, and Roblox.
Plus, special thanks to
for letting me test out their facilities.
[clucks tongue]
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