Contrary to what it might seem, the Metaverse is much more than a virtual reality game in which to have fun, have exciting experiences and socialize. First of all, it must be remembered that the Metaverse is not a virtual reality parallel to our own: it will be a fluid experience of a hybrid environment in which the boundaries between physical and virtual reality will be almost non-existent, thus aligning with the digital revolution already underway that sees the integration of the online and offline dimensions of our life experiences, including work.
Above all, the actions that people will perform in the Metaverse will have repercussions in real life: the work that you will do for your company remotely while immersed in the Metaverse, as well as the interpersonal relationships that you will form there, will be traceable to your identity and, together with the actions performed in the real world, will help build your reputation. Furthermore, the Metaverse is not the property of Facebook. Like the Internet, the Metaverse will be accessible to everyone for free (as long as you have the technology to access it) and everyone will have the opportunity to create their own virtual spaces and avatars, creating an ever-expanding universe.
As in the case of the Internet, though, some large corporations will own and control larger portions of it, and the way in which they design the interfaces of the platforms to access the Metaverse will certainly greatly influence the perception that users will have of these environments. Equally it happens with social networks, although everyone will be able to create and publish their own content in the Metaverse, some talented users will be professional content creators, they will have loyal audiences to address and they will profit from this activity. Meta has already planned to invest in training the next Metaverse developers, since most of the currently existing degree programs do not provide the necessary skills for this new profession. Meta encourages creators to join the Metaverse because their content will attract new users and bring more value to its platforms.
The economy of the Metaverse will be based on a unified cryptocurrency, like bitcoin, for example, and the buying and selling of NFTs. NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are digital objects, such as artistic creations, videos and music, that are unique and irreplaceable. This means that although it is possible to make several copies, the buyer is acknowledged ownership of the original, which has much more value in case you want to resell it. In addition, a note is made of every transaction on decentralized records thanks to blockchain technology, and this should limit the risk of fraud. The peculiarity of NFTs, which will make them particularly attractive to the inhabitants of the Metaverse when it will be completed, will be their interoperability; that is, whoever buys a garment or virtual object for their avatar will be able to take it with them and use it in all the interconnected worlds of the Metaverse. At the moment the concept of interoperability is a utopia. Each platform currently hinging on a similar business model has its own digital currency. Moreover, it will take a long time to make them homogeneous from the point of view of programming code and graphics, so that a token purchased in a virtual world can also be transported and used in another. Surely, nevertheless, sooner or later it will happen.