METAVERSE: CHANGING TIDES OF TECHNOLOGY
Metaverse is the hip term of today, which everyone is fascinated by. But how much do we know about this phenomenon?
Facebook, in 2021 announced its expansion and rebranding to “Meta”. The digital world, where all fantasies could come true. You could be a persona of your wildest imagination, living your wildest dreams.
So why is it that, it sees lesser to nothing users today?
Meta initially set a goal of reaching 500,000 monthly active users for Horizon Worlds by the end of this year, but in recent weeks revised that figure to 280,000. The current tally is less than 200,000, the documents show.
METAVERSE Do these figures mean it’s a flop?
Well, it’s hard to say. Facebook has already announced the failure of the Metaverse project. Let us consider the start of the era of the internet. In the early 2000s, people weren’t too keen or could not relate, only because of inaccessibility. Also considering the boring user interfaces of the past, people could not see the allure of spending time in a digital world.
Cut to 20 years later, everyone living through their smartphones and enhanced digital-hybrid lives. Similarly, Metaverse is just ahead of its time. In the changing tides of technology, it’s stranded in the ocean with no winds to push its sails.
Just like in the early 2000s, inaccessibility and dodgy interfaces can be part of the blame for the decline in users. To be a part of this magical universe and experience to it’s fullest potential, you need heavy investment in fancy gadgets. Virtual headsets, Oculus, etc are some of the more complicated names required. Simplifying it, laptops and desktops are absolute musts for the metaverse.
We are currently in the era of smartphones. When everything you need and need to do can be done at your fingertips and on the go. A very simple fact that you cannot access the metaverse on your phone, is an immediate loss on the user base numbers.
The bridge of Xtended Reality(XR).
The more compatible technology, relatable to the masses of today could be said to be XR. More significantly Augmented Reality (AR).
An example of Xtended Reality
AR is one of the norms in daily life today. Someone is scanning a QR code somewhere and using this technology. The field of AR has adapted and built itself to a very strong base. An ordinary person with no coding experience can create an AR graphic, using nothing but their phone.
Apple creates avatars, based closely on your true self, and Snapchat filters are another form of AR technology. This could be the bridge of what is needed for the metaverse to grow. Instagram has already integrated avatars into its app.
Could this be the bridge the Metaverse needs to grow?
If segments of the metaverse could be made accessible into everyday technology such as smartphones. AR could be the perfect bridge to the metaverse and the ticket to user growth tomorrow.
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Italian version: Il Metaverso: flop o potenziale futuro?
ITALIAN VERSION: Il Metaverso: flop o potenziale futuro?
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