Lindsay Masten, associate professor of graphic design and new art at Yavapai College presented a lecture titled “Welcome to the Metaverse” on Tuesday, Aug. 29, as part of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Brown Bag Program.
The term “metaverse” was coined by science fiction author Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel “Snow Crash” to describe a digital urban space where people could interact with one another.
The term recently came to the fore as part of Facebook’s branding effort for its future evolution into 3D space. A metaverse, as opposed to Facebook’s proprietary platform branded “the metaverse,” does not yet exist on a large scale other than in gaming.
Masten said that the metaverse can be used for positive things, such as interacting with someone on the other side of the world in real-time, a technology that already exists. She said the metaverse is not limited like the way we think of computing on the internet, with the history of both the metaverse and the internet being intertwined as similar modes of connectivity.
She described the metaverse as a network composed of 3D virtual worlds that focus on immersive experiences, digital economies and social connections.
Masten said today’s internet risks disconnecting humans from one another. She said humans are obligate social animals, so communicating online doesn’t fulfill certain needs. On that note, Masten said she felt that the metaverse will make the internet more human and provide more believable connections and that, like the internet, it will continue to evolve over time, as it is an evolution of the internet itself.
Masten said that a key characteristic of a metaverse would be that it was persistent — i.e., always on, unable to be turned off and accessible from anywhere in the world, as differentiated from a software application that can be turned on and off.
The metaverse is also predicted to be more synchronous than the internet, allowing users to interact with each other in real time, and more open, meaning that everyone can participate at the same time. If it is not tied to a specific platform or device and could be accessed from a variety of devices and interfaces, no single company would own it. Masten argued that the metaverse must have seamless transitions between platforms to be able to work. By incorporating things like haptic feedback, the metaverse is supposed to be more immersive and engaging than allowed for by two-dimensional interfaces, although less so that person-to-person engagement.
Entrepreneurs hope that the invention of a metaverse will provide a new economic space.
Masten attributed the creation of the concept of the metaverse to the increasing use of technologies like virtual and augmented reality, as well as the role that video games and social media have played in making people more comfortable being online.
The concept of the metaverse was heavily influenced by early computer games, including “Second Life,” one of the earliest virtual worlds, which was launched in 2003. This allowed users to create avatars and interact with one another in real-time. “World of Warcraft” and “Minecraft” also influenced the creation of a metaverse.
“We explore and we build, it’s just a thing that human beings do,” Masten said.
Masten argued that the idea of the metaverse has become prevalent due to a cultural shift, as people were driven by government restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic response into replacing person-to-person communication with digital communication. Digital literacy is also improving as the internet is increasingly integrated into everyday life.
Masten said that some predicted benefits of the metaverse include new job categories, new ways to invest, improved operations and reimagined public services, such as going to court in the metaverse. There is a conversation happening to make the virtual world more accessible to those with physical disabilities as well.
Masten also claimed that the metaverse will eliminate the need for physical infrastructure, as VR glasses typically cost less than a laptop.
She said the metaverse would offer benefits for higher education, including access to global resources, such as taking a virtual field trip to Egypt. Experimental courses are currently being tested out in a Facebook-built programming structure at Yavapai College. Yavapai College has received a grant from Facebook to promote its “metaverse” program, which so far has involved the closure of the college library to transform it into a virtual reality space.
The OLLI Brown Bag Program is a series of free lunchtime presentations open to the public. The next lecture will be on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 12:30 p.m. at the Yavapai College Clarkdale Campus, at 601 Black Hills Drive.
