Since October 2021, when Mark Zuckerberg announced the change of Facebook's name to Meta, a big question mark was planted in people's minds about what its main product will be: the metaverse. After all, how will it impact the digital environment?

Although little is known about the new actions proposed by the brand, one thing is certain: the US company is betting many of its chips on this new scenario. This is because, to make this new reality viable, the founder intends to invest 150 million dollars in the training of designers and developers.

Taking into account that technology giants do not play around, it is certain that this new concept promises to take over the internet in the coming years. But do you really know what the Metaverse is and what it can provide to the market and users? Follow the reading and check it out in this article that the CodeBlog team has prepared for you.

After all, what is the Metaverse?

From the English word Metaverse, the term metaverse first appeared in the work “Snow Crash”, a science fiction novel written by Neal Stephenson back in 1992. In the story, the characters use technology as a way to escape from a dystopian reality. Regarding terminology, “Meta” comes from the Greek “beyond” or “after something”, and “verse” comes from the word “universe”.

In practice, the metaverse involves a digital universe, where users will be able to interact with each other through the use of avatars.

The goal is really to establish a 3D Internet, capable of promoting communication, entertainment, and ensuring the conduction of new businesses in an entirely immersive way. It is worth noting that, until now, this universe is not yet available to everyone, so it is not possible to present a clear description or discussion about it and its impacts.

However, several technology companies have been investing time, money, and labor so that this reality changes in the coming years.

The environment will be developed and accessed through different technological resources, such as augmented reality, virtual reality, social media, and much more.

A great example of this is Fortnite, one of the most popular games today, which has been investing in expanding its "social network" side and allowing players to create characters to intensify interaction with one another.

Currently, Fortnite has been one of the platforms that closest approaches the initial concept of the metaverse because, just like mentioned in Snow Crash, the game connects the digital with the real and promotes various immersive experiences through the implementation of a virtual environment, inhabited by the avatars of its users.

How will the metaverse work?

According to Meta's own founder, Mark Zuckerberg, in the future, users present in the Metaverse will be able to perform everyday tasks in a fully digital way. Still during the announcement of the name change from Facebook to Meta, the businessman gave some spoilers on how the immersive platform works. Check out the announcement below:

"You'll be able to do almost anything you can imagine — get together with friends and family, work, learn, play, shop, create — as well as completely new experiences that don't really fit how we think about computers or phones today."

To understand it better, imagine the following scenario: you have an avatar in the metaverse, which acts as a character and allows you to buy tickets to go to the movies, watch concerts, or football matches. All of this virtually, without having to leave your house or make any effort. Interesting, to say the least, isn't it?

Why are the market's biggest companies investing in the metaverse?

The metaverse is the hype of the moment, and proof of this is that some of the largest companies in the market are investing heavily in this platform. The justification for so many actions is very easy to understand. According to data collected by the Bloomberg Intelligence Unit, this digital universe is projected to generate about 800 billion dollars by 2024.

Check out below some globally recognized organizations that are developing projects focused on the Metaverse.

Facebook

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has been investing in augmented and virtual reality solutions to outline a new future for social networks.

Proof of this was the launch of its VR glasses, which aim to strengthen the development of a virtual environment, in which people will have the possibility to build avatars and connect with each other anywhere in the world.

Microsoft

Recently, Microsoft also announced the development of 3D avatars on the Teams platform, a solution integrated with the Mesh feature, which implements workspaces through virtual and augmented reality.

The company also announced that, in the future, these platforms will feature new capabilities aimed at team productivity.

Nike

In partnership with the online game platform Roblox, Nike, the largest company in the sports business, has been implementing its virtual universe: Nikeland. The idea of this environment is to enable the brand's customers to shop and practice virtual sports with their avatars.

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola, in partnership with Fortnite, launched the Byte soda, a limited edition created inside the game itself. The action was the result of a project by Creations, a platform launched by the company to test new digital projects.

Disney

Disney, a pioneer in the animation market, intends to build its metaverse by connecting the physical and digital universes, to integrate the experiences provided in a single place. Recently, the company registered a patent for virtual and augmented reality that operates without the need for digital devices.

We, at CodeBit, believe in the power of technology and innovation; therefore, in addition to developing various digital solutions to facilitate processes for private companies and third-sector organizations, we always feed our blog and social networks with news, trends, and information about the digital universe.

If you liked this post, take the opportunity to share it with your friends and keep them in the loop about the concept of the Metaverse.

Moreover, keep an eye on CodeBlog. Soon, we will have exciting news here.

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