Metaverse, a highly notable media platform that has been recently publicized by Facebook, after rebranding itself to Meta, is now considered to be the future of the internet, due to its fascinating futuristic features and compelling characteristics. But what exactly is Metaverse and are they really that perfect?

The Metaverse can be easily described as an online 3D virtual space where many companies are interested in constructing something that resembles a future version of the internet. Though it might not have a precise meaning, Metaverse has been able to gain many attractions from people and organizations from around the world with their tempting technology functions. That includes their virtual reality, which is characterized by persistent virtual environments that exist even when you’re not playing, and augmented reality, which blends features of the digital and physical worlds. It does not, however, necessitate that those areas be only accessible through VR or AR. Virtual worlds have begun to refer to themselves as “the Metaverse,” such as sections of Fortnite that can be accessed via PCs, game consoles, and even phones.

What is the Metaverse Like Right Now?

Up till today’s date, many individuals are still perplexed as to what the Metaverse is and what benefits it will provide. On a conceptual level, the Metaverse is positioned as the next-generation internet, allowing us to fully combine our physical and virtual lives, resulting in real-time immersive experiences. People, on the other hand, find it difficult to fully comprehend the possibilities of this future social interaction and internet platform because it does not refer to a specific technology. This is understandable, try to imagine discussing today’s Internet in the 1970s while the basis was in place, it would have been difficult to understand the applications and experiences we have today.

The Metaverse will undoubtedly be a new paradigm in which our digital and online lives converge, even though it’s still unclear how that will happen.

Society’s Reaction to The Metaverse

Since the metaverse is an online repetition that allows us to have a considerably more enchanting experience. Users will be able to use an avatar to access the internet, or the internet will come to the users in an upgraded reality experience. It might’ve already sounded to you that this would obviously get quite an attention from the society due to its new and fascinating features.

However, people’s opinions are always different. A survey was done in the United States and the Americans have not really been carried away about uploading their lives. A Morning Consult poll has a result of 68 percent of people being uninterested. Gen Z, on the other hand, is the most enthusiastic group, with 46% showing interest. It’s only logical that a generation that grew up with the internet would accept it to some extent, but the emergence of TikTok has shown that their acceptance is rarely indicative of quality.

Pros of The Metaverse

Speaking of the pros, it is certain that many people would want to know about the benefits and advantages of Metaverse, as they are a new form of technology that could have a high chance of ruling human lifestyles in the future, and in order to justify whether they are valuable enough technology. Here are some of the outstanding benefits from the metaverse that you might want to keep in mind.

Upgrade and Expand the Virtual Economy

The idea of​​ a virtual economy in the existing digital domain is very promising. As the Metaverse virtual world continues to expand, one of the significant benefits of the Metaverse will focus on creating a virtual economy. The Metaverse’s economy serves as an ideal platform for the immersive exchange of digital assets for real economic value. In addition, the Metaverse also has desirable features to facilitate new trading activities and job recruitment in a shared virtual space and in the physical world.   

Improvements in Education

Online learning has become a huge and important part of every student in today’s world, especially in the past 3 years, as an impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 90% of students were unable to attend their classes normally, which made online learning the solution to this problem.

The Metaverse makes learning more accessible than ever. There is no need to consider the physical location of the classroom. People around the world can share information and learn together in real-time in a hands-on educational environment.

In addition, the Metaverse gives students complete control over what they see, making it easier to convey ideas and concepts through visual learning. This is because students can experience historical phenomena up close, not theoretically. Imagine wandering around the city of ancient Rome and experiencing life at the time.

Opportunities for Financial Gain

Each and every time when new technology approaches, people will constantly look for methods to profit from them. It’s no different in the metaverse, where individuals are already figuring out how to make a career off of what the metaverse has to offer.

Some people invest in digital real estate, which is virtual plots of land, in the hopes that the value of the virtual property would increase over time. Others make money by creating the Metaverse assets and structures, while others are being taught to improve the Metaverse’s general functionality. Some people are interested in Metaverse crypto trading, which has the potential to skyrocket in value and make any early investors millionaires.

Cons of The Metaverse

After seeing quite a number of benefits or pros from the Metaverse, you might be wondering if there are any cons to it at all? But as same as everything else in the world, the answer is yes. Seemingly, this idea of a shared, lasting virtual environment does present some certain inevitable issues. Here are some more answers to the question.

Cybercrime

Cybercrime has been a severe issue on the internet since its inception. Governments have spent millions of dollars and years battling it, and the results have helped to improve the security of our contemporary internet infrastructure.

However, because the Metaverse is a novel idea, it does not yet have these high levels of cyber security. This renders it very vulnerable to a variety of criminal activities, including fraud, money laundering, child exploitation, trafficking in unlawful products and services, and cyberattacks, to mention a few.

In addition, an extra cause for concern is that governments do not have much capacity to prevent and punish cybercrime owing to the decentralized nature of the metaverse.

Negativity’s effect on the Society and Cultures

One of the consequences of bringing people so close together and melding the many cultures of the globe into one is the loss of the world’s exquisite cultural variety.

People will no longer feel linked to their tiny immediate civilization if they spend most of their time in the Metaverse, nor feel the need to embrace their own local or regional cultures. This might lead to the extinction of many traditions that have been followed and respected since the dawn of time, and the emergence of a new civilization that, although uniting and all-embracing, may become old and lifeless.

In conclusion

As previously mentioned, despite having the advantages that make our lives easier by which it enhances the virtual economy and education. Not just that, the Metaverse also helps people gain new opportunities in terms of finance by investing their money in digital real estate, leading some individuals to start creating the Metaverse assets. Most interestingly, there’s also Metaverse crypto trading that allows you to gain lots of money due to its future value will dramatically rise. Despite these positive effects, the Metaverse still has some drawbacks that should not be overlooked. While people have a chance to broaden their society, cybercrime and privacy are also things we should beware of. Metaverse can give rise to a large number of privacy threats and data theft due to internet use. Moreover, the fact that the Metaverse brings people closer and merges many cultures together can lead to the loss of the world’s cultural diversity.

With all this in consideration, it is undeniable that everything has both positive and negative consequences. However, the Metaverse has shown that its advantages could outweigh the disadvantages. To fully make use of the Metaverse, we should always keep in mind how we can use it in appropriate ways because its effects depend on our actions. If properly utilized, Metaverse will be the key to driving our world to a much-advanced level.