--- title: "What is the metaverse? Two media and information experts explain" description: "The metaverse is a network of always-on virtual environments in which many people can interact with one another and digital objects while operating virtual representations – or avatars – of themselves. Think of a combination of immersive virtual reality, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game and the web." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "THE CONVERSATION" author: "Rabindra Ratan and Yiming Lei" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/rabindra-ratan-and-yiming-lei/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-12-10-what-is-the-metaverse-two-media-and-information-experts-explain/" published: "2021-12-10T07:42:01" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 532 --- # What is the metaverse? Two media and information experts explain > The metaverse is a network of always-on virtual environments in which many people can interact with one another and digital objects while operating virtual representations – or avatars – of themselves. Think of a combination of immersive virtual reality, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game and the web. By Rabindra Ratan and Yiming Lei · Published 10 December 2021, 09:42 SAST ## Content The metaverse is a concept from science fiction that many people in the technology industry envision as the successor to today’s internet. It’s only a vision at this point, but technology companies like Facebook are aiming to make it the setting for many online activities, including work, [play,](https://www.lifewire.com/the-top-mmorpgs-813063)studying and shopping. Facebook is so sold on the concept that it is [renaming itself Meta](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/10/facebook-new-name-metaverse.html) to highlight its push to dominate the metaverse. Metaverse is a portmanteau of meta, meaning transcendent, and verse, from universe. Sci-fi novelist Neal Stephenson coined the term in his 1992 novel “[Snow Crash](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/172832/snow-crash-by-neal-stephenson/)” to describe the [virtual world](https://www.wired.com/story/wired-guide-to-virtual-reality/) in which the protagonist, Hiro Protagonist, socializes, shops and vanquishes real-world enemies through his avatar. The concept predates “Snow Crash” and was popularized as “cyberspace” in William Gibson’s groundbreaking 1984 novel “[Neuromancer](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/538861/neuromancer-by-william-gibson/).” There are three key aspects of the metaverse: presence, interoperability and standardization. Presence is the feeling of actually being in a virtual space, with virtual others. [Decades of research](https://ispr.info/) have shown that this sense of embodiment improves the quality of online interactions. This sense of presence is achieved through virtual reality technologies such as head-mounted displays. Interoperability means being able to seamlessly travel between virtual spaces with the same virtual assets, such as avatars and digital items. [ReadyPlayerMe](https://readyplayer.me/) allows people to create an avatar that they can use in hundreds of different virtual worlds, including in Zoom meetings through apps like [Animaze](https://www.animaze.us/). Meanwhile, [blockchain](http://graphics.reuters.com/TECHNOLOGY-BLOCKCHAIN/010070P11GN/index.html) technologies such as [cryptocurrencies](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cryptocurrency.asp) and [nonfungible tokens](https://theconversation.com/how-nonfungible-tokens-work-and-where-they-get-their-value-a-cryptocurrency-expert-explains-nfts-157489) facilitate the transfer of digital goods across virtual borders. Standardization is what enables interoperability of platforms and services across the metaverse. As with all mass-media technologies – from the printing press to texting – common technological standards are essential for widespread adoption. International organizations such as the [Open Metaverse Interoperability Group](https://www.w3.org/community/metaverse-interop/) define these standards. **Why the metaverse matters** If the metaverse does become the successor to the internet, who builds it, and how, is extremely important to the future of the economy and society as a whole. Facebook is aiming to play a leading role in shaping the metaverse, in part by [investing heavily in virtual reality](https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1461444820960411). Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg [explained in an interview](https://www.theverge.com/22588022/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-ceo-metaverse-interview) his view that the metaverse spans nonimmersive platforms like today’s social media as well as immersive 3D media technologies such as virtual reality, and that it [will be for work](https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/21/21266945/facebook-ar-vr-remote-work-oculus-passthrough-future-tech) as well as play. [YouTube video: "YouTube video"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSp1dM2Vj48) The metaverse might one day resemble the flashy fictional Oasis of Ernest Cline’s “[Ready Player One](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/209887/ready-player-one-by-ernest-cline/),” but until then you can turn to games like [Fortnite](https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/home) and [Roblox](https://www.roblox.com/), virtual reality social media platforms like [VRChat](https://hello.vrchat.com/) and [AltspaceVR](https://altvr.com/), and virtual work environments like [Immersed](https://immersed.com/) for a taste of the immersive and connected metaverse experience. As these siloed spaces converge and become increasingly interoperable, watch for a truly singular metaverse to emerge.**DM/ML** [Media](https://counter.theconversation.com/content/165731/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced) [This story was first published in *The Conversation.*](https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-metaverse-2-media-and-information-experts-explain-165731) *This article has been updated to include Facebook’s announcement on Oct. 28, 2021 that it is renaming itself Meta.* *Rabindra Ratan is an associate professor of Media and Information at Michigan State University. Yiming Lei is a doctoral student in Media and Information at Michigan State University.* \[hearken id="daily-maverick/8901"\]