Metaverse is inching closer to reality than we ever think and is expected to grow more in future

Consider a world in which you can hold a meeting in space and return home in time for dinner. This may sound like a pipe dream, but in the metaverse, you could end up meeting someone on another continent. By 2026, 25% of people are expected to spend at least one hour per day in the metaverse.

Whether for work, shopping, education, or entertainment, it is poised to elevate our online experiences. metaverse inching closer to reality than we ever think

Sceptical? It is reasonable to question technologies that promise so much when so many have failed to deliver. Since Facebook went Meta, the metaverse has received a flood of media attention, which can sometimes be detrimental. However, with elaborate virtual worlds long established in video gaming and used by millions of people every day, the metaverse has already proven to be successful in many ways.

The metaverse is essentially the evolution of the internet to a 3D immersive platform for the world today. The metaverse, like the internet, will be universally accessible, and its potential applications will go far beyond entertainment thanks to advancements in virtual and augmented reality platforms, gaming, machine learning, blockchain-related technologies, 3D content, digital currencies, sensors, and AR/VR-enabled headsets.

But there's another reason the metaverse is getting more attention than ever before. The pandemic reshaped the working world, and while hybrid work has been successful, it is far from complete. Beyond the convenience factor, employers should consider the metaverse's ability to deliver more authentic, cohesive, and interactive employee experiences.

A New Era of Collaboration

The workplace is one of the most immediate opportunities for the metaverse. These will be realized in industrial and office-based use cases where collaboration, creativity, and productivity can be significantly improved.

Collaboration suffers as a result of distance. Many of us are overly accustomed to the 2D environment of a video call, in which some people prefer to remain off-camera and social cues can be limited by technical issues. A conversation with a colleague over Teams or Slack may occur as soon as a call ends, but remote working has effectively eliminated "water cooler" chat. This should not be underestimated, as there is still real value in informal opportunities to chat with colleagues or networks outside of the call agenda.

The metaverse can help with this in a variety of ways. People can gather in a shared space that can be both informal and formal by replicating an office environment. Employees can use their digital avatar to immerse themselves in a new virtual environment with colleagues, whether to relax in a break room or to present at meetings.

An All-Inclusive Experience

In many ways, the metaverse has the potential to provide a more human experience. Consider the onboarding process: in the hybrid working era, new employees must wade through uninteresting documents and only meet with managers or specific team members to discuss day-to-day activity and expectations. Wouldn't it be far more personal to allow people to interact with the company in a 3D hall or gallery? Wouldn't the following training be more interesting and effective if it was truly "hands-on"? What if a candidate could even try out for the job before committing?

Securing A Virtual World

While we could spend days discussing the potential benefits, we cannot and must not overlook security. As the metaverse progresses, the security challenges become more numerous. Cybercrime is becoming more prevalent in the real world, with a reported 50% increase in overall attacks per week on corporate networks last year compared to 2020. The metaverse is another avenue for cybercriminals to explore, and as more of our working lives take place in virtual worlds, serious challenges must be considered.