What is the metaverse?

Jul 6, 2022

The metaverse. A loaded term that’s likely been orbiting in your mental space. There’s a lot to unpack. But unless you’re a tech or sci-fi enthusiast, there likely hasn’t been a reason to. At the moment, it probably feels light years away from your day to day and your ‘need to know’s’.

People are still debating the exact definition. In keeping with its first mention, in the 1982 sci-fi novel Snow Crash, many envision it as an immersive 3d virtual space. And with such a flood of investment and financial interest, many equate it with the decentralized currencies predicted to run this new virtual world.

We believe it is both these things, and more. We see it as an idea bigger than virtual reality, and bitcoin, and Zuckerburg and NFTs – something very much of the here, now, and all around.

It’s the disappearance of cash in favor of payment you’ll never actually touch. The 16 hours a day you spend checking for messages across different platforms. The stretch of time every evening you spend streaming or scrolling through various media. It’s the millions of people sliding into DMs or pairing on dating apps. It’s the holiday you will take virtually with friends from different continents, ticking off bucket list items without the carbon footprint.

We see the metaverse as a time, instead of a place.

We see it as the unfolding present. The moment when virtual experiences start to carry equal if not more meaning and value than physical ones. It’s when we finally come to admit, there’s no turning it off, much of life is lived on and for the internet.

We’re not alone in this thinking. Below you’ll find a bite-sized primer on this particular view of the metaverse. Ordered from shortest to longest, the links below feature different types of content, from different thinkers on the topic.