Enter the metaverse(s)
Named after a fictional dystopian virtual world from the 1992 science fiction novel “Snow Crash” and popularised by the Spielberg film “Ready player one”, metaverses are collaboratively developed environments beyond the control of any one person that the hype is currently touting will replace the two-dimensional internet we know now with a three dimensional, immersive VR world in which people represent themselves with avatars – virtual representations of themselves. Is the metaverse the next step in the development of the internet, the digital frontier in which we should all be investing, or an overhyped false dawn destined to be forgotten as soon as the next big thing hoves into view?
