Since Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the company’s rebranding to Meta, and the new term “metaverse,” users have been wondering if the platform would become our future. Yet, what is metaverse and how can one take advantage of it?
Metaverse – Less Complicated Than It Sounds
Metaverse is claimed to be the next big thing, the future of our generation, and the new reality that we all need to get used to. Despite being claimed so, and promoted on every social media platform, it’s still unclear what the term “metaverse” actually means. The truth is that metaverse is everything connected to the online world. Be it Meta with its new VR social media platform, or gamers using Roblox and Fortnite skins – all of that is the cyberspace called metaverse. Even NFTs are a part of it! That said, it’s not just a new type of technology that uses VR to help the user interact. Instead, it’s as simple as changes to how those users interact. This term is new just for a few years, and it’ll get old quickly as soon as more consumers take a hold of it.
Nikki Fuego, a 29-year-old artist in Kansas City, is one of those progressive internet users. Just like we mentioned earlier, the metaverse includes all virtual worlds, not just AR or VR spaces. Fuego, for example, prefers to work in Decentraland – a digital space that resembles a video game. For those who spend their time socializing in the infrastructure, she creates digital outfits – and makes more money with that endeavor than on her full-time job. “I am gagged every single day that I wake up and remember I make money from this,” she said. For around 40 hours a week, she uses the Blender software for clients.
But is it really a stable position for future entrepreneurs?
Two Sides Of The Coin
Now, that many people are paying to have their metaverse skins modernized, it could become one of the successful ventures for virtual designers. But it’s not just them that could profit. In reality, there are countless different positions to fill. “People often think, ‘What’s the new job in the metaverse?’ And it’s actually creating interesting things that people would actually do when they get to the metaverse,” said Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab. “Sometimes it’s engineering, where you’ve got to build software and hardware. Sometimes it’s simply by showing up and being a character in a type of an event.” New programs for metaverse users pay them just to spend their time in Meta worlds. Creators that submit their works to Sandbox can earn from $2 to $60 per piece.
Of course, there are downsides to the overwhelming metaverse popularity. Meta is just a new variant of Facebook. What are Facebook and other social media platforms known for? Sadly, it’s profiting off their members. While a natural process, the point of seeking profit will invade the metaverse as easily as older social platforms. Sure, there’s no harm in meeting your friends in the fresh infrastructure by using just your PC or VR headset. Yet, when the owners capture your personal information and sell it to other businesses, it poses the same danger as old Twitter or Instagram we know.
So, when indulging in a new economy of the metaverse as such, users shouldn’t forget about their online safety. Otherwise, let’s be hopeful for the new, innovative business model to receive more recognition.