For the last ten years, most people – especially younger ones – have used their smartphones to immerse themselves in social media platforms. The average web user spends nearly two and a half hours daily on social media.
It’s beyond cliche at this point to call out, criticize, and bemoan the addiction to social media. We all use it, not need to lie about it.
And while there are plenty of legitimate criticisms of social media – the echo chambers, the filter bubbles, and so on – there’s also no denying that these platforms have impacted the world positively in many ways.
There’s simply something immersive about social media. And we’re always looking to further that immersion. That’s where the Metaverse comes in.
Social Media Immersion
Social media is the archetypical Web 2.0 app. However, it won’t die with the Web 2.0 era. Social media is only going to become more and more important as time goes on.
The Metaverse is the perfect example of how social media will continue to evolve. For those who don’t know, the Metaverse is a proposed digital reality where people can interact with each other and with digital objects as if they were in the same physical space.
You can think of it as a cross between the virtual world of Second Life and augmented reality. Some even call it “extended reality.” In the Metaverse, we’ll be able to play, shop, and even work.
Of course, we can do all of these things now, but doing it over 2D screens is starting to feel a bit outdated. The Metaverse can not only provide life-like visuals and sounds but also stimulate our other senses.
People are already developing technologies that stimulate senses like smell and touch.
Advertising in Augmented Reality
The Metaverse will also be a more immersive form of advertising. In the physical world, we’re bombarded with adverts everywhere we go. They’re on the streets, in shops, and even in public toilets.
Most of us have become quite good at ignoring them. However, that won’t be as easy in the Metaverse. Advertisers will have more opportunities to catch our attention and sell us stuff.
And just as social media revolutionized advertising in the mid-2000s, so will the Metaverse in the following decades. Advertisers will be able to target us based on our location, interests, and even the time of day.
Brands like McDonald’s and Nike have already begun creating digital versions of their products that could be sold in both the real and digital worlds.
Future of Data Safety
Social media platforms may become our new immersive environments, but they’ll also be collecting ever-more sensitive data about us.
In the Metaverse, companies will know what we buy and how we interact with their products. They’ll know what we like, what we don’t like, and even what we’re saying about their competitors.
As such, these companies must take data security and privacy seriously. Otherwise, the Metaverse could become a nightmarish dystopia ruled by a handful of all-powerful corporations.
Entering a Whole New World
The future of social media is undoubtedly interlinked with the future of the Metaverse. As immersion technologies become increasingly advanced, we’ll increasingly use them to connect with each other and brands.
For better or worse, the Metaverse will change how we live, select and nurture our careers, and conduct ourselves on social media. So, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest developments.
Who knows, you might be one of the first people to open a virtual reality restaurant or to sell digital art in the Metaverse.
