Since Facebook changed its corporate name to Meta, news about the future of the Metaverse has not stopped talking. Many experts have launched their opinions and theories, many conspiratorial. But no one has the magic ball to know what exactly is going to happen, but what is certain is that a new quantum leap is coming in people’s lives.
If we remember what the world was like 20 years ago (2002) and how we solved the problems of our daily lives, for example how we arrived at an address that we did not know, by asking or seeing a physical map since Waze or Google Maps did not exist. and much less the lady with the iPhone who is guiding us (Turn right, turn left). Another example, what happened when you arrived at a family member or friend’s house, you rang the bell or the door, now no one does it, even the man from the Uber who brings your food calls you on your cell phone so that you can come out to receive your order. And so we could spend the whole day giving an example of how the internet and technology changed life as we knew it.
And now a new quantum leap is coming in how we solve our day-to-day problems. One of the technologies that will play a main role is precisely the famous metaverse. It is curious that 90% of people have already heard about this, but 2 out of 3 people do not understand or do not see how our future will change. Most people relate the metaverse to putting glasses on their heads and seeing drawings or digital renders. But what currently exists is still in a very early development stage, has little use and above all 70% of users have a bad experience.
It is well known that Facebook put all the chips in its metaverse project, to the point of changing its name to Meta so that we can directly relate it to this new technology. They point out that this will be the successor to the mobile Internet. But why are you so interested in radically changing how we communicate, how we consume content and how we buy? Well, Facebook wants to create a channel different from cell phones since this channel is controlled by its competitors and deadly enemies (Apple and Google). By being the king in the metaverse, Meta will be able to control the total distribution of content and will no longer depend on the good will and decisions of Apple, which, for example, gave Meta a nice surprise with the famous IOS 14 update that considerably affected performance. of social media marketing campaigns by preventing iPhone users from being tracked.
So, what stage or state is the Metaverse currently in? We’re still a long way off, Meta has invested billions into developing their Metaverse and it still feels like it’s just for kids. Its metaverse is called Horizon World and requires the use of an Oculus headset that costs from $399 US dollars. You can see prices and more information by visiting this link https://www.meta.com/quest/products/quest-2/. But despite having invested so much money, it has had little reception, the New York Times will comment that they have only reached 50% of the user goal, to the point that Meta employees themselves are infrequent users. They have 300,000 active monthly users, a very small number compared to the almost 3 billion active users on Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp.
Although it seems that everything is going wrong for Meta, the stakes are in this new digital world, and it is estimated that by 2028 this industry will generate 800 billion dollars. The radical change that seduces the metaverse is the promise of eliminating the border between the virtual and the real. The pandemic got us used to having Zoom meetings and shopping online, but this goes further.
Today we can scan our face in a three-dimensional photo, with our cell phone. We can digitize the physical world. And above all we see the emergence of a new industry that is applying artificial intelligence that allows us to obtain very high quality 3D images and designs in a short time. This will allow this digital world to become more and more similar to the real one every year. We will have an ultra-realistic avatar that will allow us to interact just as we do in the real world.
Currently there are companies like UnlimitedHand that are developing bracelets or bracelets to give commands in the metaverse. By thinking about the movement of our fingers, we can now generate actions in the digital world. When I think about this, the movie WALL – E comes to mind, where people live lying down. But beyond the world where we do not have to move, let’s think about its application in medicine, people with paralysis or motor problems can find relief in these solutions.
And getting a little crazier, what’s going to happen when babies are born with this bracelet. They will be the real digital natives. They will not care if they live in the digital world or in the real world, they will not feel nostalgic thinking that the physical world was better. Is it going to make sense to travel to see places? You may think that when you see things you do it with your eyes, but the reality is that light enters through the eyes, but images are processed in the brain. The moment we can directly connect images with the brain and no longer with the eye, we would end up erasing the difference between reality and the virtual. The feeling we have when meeting in a metaverse will be the same as an in-person meeting, even if it is not true.
And here the company founded by Elon Musk, Neuralink, plays a crucial role. This company promises that in 6 months its technology that directly connects the brain with a computer will be tested on humans. They already implanted a chip in a monkey’s brain (I know you’ll be curious and run out looking for the video, so I’ll save you time and leave it down here for you to watch). But it really is incredible how with this technology that has only been in development for 6 years, it allows an animal to control a game only with its mind.
