Within the ever-shifting terrain of the Internet, it’s certainly hard to keep up with every new trend and phenomenon (like NFTs or Dogecoin). The Metaverse–which crashed headlong into mainstream media after Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement–is yet another digital craze that has arrested the attention of many. Still, most people are asking the question: is the metaverse just a passing fad, or is it the impending future?

Science (Non)Fiction

When discussing the metaverse, it’s easy to see why its name is derived from Neal Stephenson’s 1992 science fiction novel, Snow Crash. The book describes a world adjacent to our own that exists virtually, where people interact with each other as digital avatars (not unlike the Sims). It is a concept that has since been reiterated in the media plenty of times (quite apocalyptically, this writer notes), and seems to be the inevitable development of current technology.

In a VICE interview, Matthew Ball (a metaverse connoisseur) explains the concept of the metaverse this way: “When [internet and computing] first emerged, all interactions were primarily text-based (emails, messages, usernames, email addresses). Then they slowly became more media-based (photos, videos, livestreams). The next elevation of user interface and user experience is into 3D. Secondly, if we think of [a] mobile [phone] as placing a computer in our pocket and the internet being available at all times, think of the metaverse as always being within a computer and inside the internet.”

The metaverse, then, is many potential futures rolled into one: the future of gaming, the future of education, the future of shopping, and–quite possibly–the future of life itself.

Virtual (Un)Reality

With as many far-flung and ambitious ideas that are being floated around the Internet concerning the metaverse, many people question why it hasn’t been made a virtual reality yet.

There are numerous budding versions of the metaverse on the market today, from Google’s fairly cheap Cardboard, to Facebook’s pricier Oculus (and plenty of iterations between). However, in order for the metaverse to thrive, there needs to be a common platform by which everyone could use it from. After all, one of the reasons the Internet has been such a powerful force this last generation isn’t because of the select few who seem to master it, but rather the sheer mass of people who use it every day. Not to mention, how easy it is to get on the Internet: you will be hard-pressed to find a person who doesn’t own–or has easy access to–a phone or computer.

Right now, the metaverse is more like a nebulous concept that is just barely starting to take form. Tech giants like Google, Facebook (now Meta, accordingly), and Microsoft are already marching into this new front. Some sources even suggest that the metaverse is a goldmine for investors.

As murky as the metaverse is, there seems to be a general consensus that it is the marked, unavoidable evolution of the Internet.

Mark Zuckerberg, daring investors, and science fiction fans alike are all free to rejoice.