Top 5 Metaverse Trends for 2023

In 2022, I couldn’t help but stumble upon the word “metaverse.” Following his Facebook rebranding at the end of 2021, nearly everyone has enthusiastically told us about his vision of a digital world where we can work, play and socialize on one lasting platform.

Anyone who has paid attention, however, will notice that these visions are often very different. While Meta focuses on creating virtual reality environments, companies like Microsoft and his Nvidia are developing Metaverse environments for collaboration and working on digital projects. At the same time, those who believe that the future of the Internet will be decentralized and built on blockchains are pushing for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that enable ownership of digital assets and bring digital democracy to the virtual world. I am experimenting with a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) designed for the world we live in.

The Metaverse concept is projected to add $5 trillion to the value of the global economy by 2030, all things are possible and 2023 could be a pivotal year to define its direction .

Metaverse as a new marketing channel

Marketing and advertising, as well as search engines and social media (technical enablers of Web 1.0 and 2.0), will provide the fuel that will propel Web 3.0 (the Metaverse) into the mainstream. While the concept may not be fully fleshed out yet, companies from international financial giants like HSBC and JP Morgan to global lifestyle and fashion powerhouses like Nike and Gucci have already made their claims. and is beginning to build a presence in the Metaverse. We know consumers are always looking for new and more engaging ways to connect with the brands they want to do business with. Focused on customer experience and one-to-one connections, the metaverse is another communication channel. The point is, unlike social and search, which are pretty well put together by Google, Meta, etc., it’s still all possibilities. Over the next 12 months, companies will seek to position themselves in the best virtual locations, whether building their own platforms or occupying existing arenas such as Meta Horizons, Fortnite, VR Chat and Decentraland. I will do my best. No one knows yet what the winning strategy will be, but one thing is certain: To win, you must participate in it.

Corporate Metaverse

Aside from its power as a marketing tool, the Metaverse is committed to providing the platform, tools, and entire virtual worlds that enable businesses to do business remotely, efficiently, and intelligently.

We can expect the concept of the metaverse to merge with the idea of ​​a “digital twin.” It is a virtual simulation of a real-world product, process, or operation that can be used to test and prototype new ideas in a safe environment in the digital domain. From wind farms to Formula 1 cars, designers are recreating physical objects within the virtual world to demonstrate their efficiency under all conceivable conditions without the resource costs incurred by testing in the physical world. You can stress test.

Another use of Metaverse technology in the corporate world is to conduct training, onboarding, and other tasks. For example, consulting giant Accenture created a metaverse environment called The Nth Floor that features a replica of a real-world office, allowing employees and new hires to perform many HR-related functions within the virtual world. Did.

Collaborative working environments in the Metaverse, such as BMW’s augmented reality lab used to design and prototype new products, also keep colleagues and their creative processes engaged while exploring new ways for teams to work remotely. However, it will become more common.

Web3 and decentralization

One vision of what the metaverse will eventually take revolves around decentralization. According to web3 proponents, distributed ledgers and blockchain technology will create a new internet beyond the control of global corporations that will no longer hold the power to censor opinions they disagree with or unplug them if necessary. increase. Take someone completely offline. This vision is built around decentralized metaverse platforms such as The Sandbox and Decentraland, which will eventually organize him as a DAO. Purchasing ownership gives individuals a say in how the organizations that build virtual domains operate, ultimately leading to the establishment of virtual democracies and user-owned communities.

NFTs are another aspect of the decentralized metaverse. These are unique tokens that exist on the blockchain and can be used to represent unique online goods and goods, similar to non-unique tokens such as cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Forever 21 are using this technology to create digital goods that owners can wear, trade, and display in the metaverse. Another footwear brand, Clarks, recently announced his tournaments online using his Roblox platform where users can win unique virtual him merchandise.

The Metaverse’s vision as a decentralized, community-owned utopia somewhat contradicts the vision promoted by companies such as Meta and Microsoft. 2023 could bring even more interesting twists to this digital culture clash.

virtual reality and augmented reality

The idea of ​​immersive, experiential technology is central to the Metaverse. Whatever the metaverse looks like, it will be more attractive than the digital world we are used to today (such as Facebook and the World Wide Web). As such, many ideas of how to use immersive technology such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed/augmented reality (MR/XR) involve how to interact with it.

Meta is building a concrete vision of what the ‘next level’ of the internet, centered around virtual reality, will look like, and in 2023 will see the launch of its highly popular Quest VR headset. Newer versions and Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc. Not everyone agrees that you have to have a display fixed to your head to enter the Metaverse, but it’s certainly one of the most exciting approaches to building immersive experiences, 2023 will bring many new developments in this space. You can see new developments, but it’s also used to create more realistic and immersive consumer metaverse experiences. Several startups are experimenting with technology that can introduce scents into our virtual experiences!

Advanced avatar technology

Many ideas for what the Metaverse will bring include adopting avatars to represent us in the digital world. Much like we are used to playing characters in video games or expressing our personas on social media, avatars are the things we project when we engage and interact with other users. . Completely fantastic, never in the real world!

Meta initially offered only very basic cartoon-like avatars, which were widely derided, but more recently, they’ve added nearly photorealistic avatars that make them look almost exactly like they do in the real world. We have developed stick technology. Other technologies such as Ready Player Me and Zepeto allow you to create avatars that can be dropped into different virtual worlds and environments rather than being restricted to specific platforms. We expect to see more advanced use cases for technologies such as motion capture in 2023. In other words, the avatar will not only look and sound like us, but will adopt its own gestures, body and language. We may see further developments in the field of autonomous avatars. In other words, they are not under our direct control, but are enabled by AI, able to act as our representatives in the digital world, and get along well with others with whom we have no relation at all. You can continue task.

To stay on top of the latest business and technology trends, be sure to subscribe and follow our newsletter twitterCheck out my 2022 Business Book of the Year Award winners, Extended Reality in Practice and Business Trends in Practice, on , LinkedIn, and YouTube.