Inception to Reality: The Metaverse Unveiled Through the Lens of Diverse Pioneers and Visionaries.
The film “Tron” (Donald Kushner, 1982) is considered to be cinema’s first-ever portrayal of the metaverse.
It was followed by “Ready Player One” (Steven Spielberg, 2018), adapted from Ernest Cline’s 2011 novel of the same name.
However, it’s worth noting that the term “Metaverse” made its debut in Neal Stephenson’s 1992 book, “Snow Crash.”
The metaverse concept, born in Neal Stephenson’s 1992 masterpiece “Snow Crash,” painted a fragmented world split between corporate zones and lawless territories. At its core, the metaverse, a global virtual reality network, linked countless individuals. Beyond its thrilling narrative, the book explored cyberpunk, linguistics, religion, cryptography, and societal decay. “Snow Crash” remains a groundbreaking work, leaving an enduring impact on the genre and shaping virtual reality and online gaming.
In “Snow Crash,” the metaverse emerges as a fusion of enhanced reality and persistent virtual spaces, encompassing all virtual realms, augmented reality, and the internet itself. To enter this realm, users rely on goggles and earphones, connecting them to a global network of computers and software agents and users craft personalized avatars, their digital alter egos, for interaction with others, including artificial intelligences.
Within this digital realm lies “the Library”, an expansive repository of knowledge accessible to all. Yet, the metaverse is more than mere entertainment and socialization; it becomes a battleground where hackers, corporations, and cults vie for control over the digital domain and its sway over the tangible world.
As of this moment (September 2023), a multitude of perspectives, notions, and misunderstandings surround the Metaverse. What is unmistakable is that something monumental is taking shape behind the scenes, an ambitious project in the making. In February 2021, I became captivated by Decentraland and its innovative virtual real estate concept. Since then, especially during the speculative frenzy of 2021, we’ve witnessed a whirlwind of ideas and misconceptions swirling around the Metaverse. Amid this chaotic landscape, one book, Herman Narula’s “Virtual Society,” has provided me with invaluable clarity, helping me to structure and refine my thoughts.
From Neal Stephenson’s “Snow Crash” to Herman Narula’s “Virtual Society” visions of the Metaverse. From Science-Fiction to Reality.
In Neal Stephenson’s “Snow Crash” and Herman Narula’s “Virtual Society,” the concept of the metaverse diverges significantly. These distinctions are pivotal:
In “Snow Crash,” the metaverse takes on a cyberpunk guise, portraying the real world as turbulent and violent, contrasting with the virtual realm, which shelters hackers, criminals, and rebels. Meanwhile, “Virtual Society” envisions the metaverse as the latest manifestation of an ancient human tendency: the act of worldbuilding, where the tangible world is enriched by its digital counterpart, fostering creativity, exploration, meaning and purpose.
Stephenson’s narrative offers a static metaverse, where users navigate a single unchanging street encircling a black sphere, using goggles and earphones to connect to a global computer network. In contrast, Narula’s vision paints a dynamic metaverse, accessible through a variety of devices and platforms, where the convergence of virtual and physical realms is fluid and adaptable.
In “Snow Crash,” the metaverse is portrayed as a single virtual reality where users primarily seek entertainment and social interaction. They create personalized avatars to interact with others, including artificial intelligences. On the other hand, “Virtual Society” emphasizes the metaverse as a platform for personal expression and creativity. Here, users have the opportunity to shape their digital identities and establish communities, sharing their unique experiences and perspectives.
Stephenson’s work emphasizes the metaverse as a battlefield, where power-hungry entities vie for control, manipulating the digital domain and its real-world repercussions. On the other hand, Narula’s “Virtual Society” casts the metaverse as a platform for cooperation and innovation, where users collaborate, compete, and learn from each other, shaping the digital realm and its tangible consequences.
The current prevailing view on the Metaverse:
The current prevailing view on the Metaverse according to writers and experts widely regards the metaverse as a collective virtual space, born from the fusion of enhanced physical reality and enduring virtual realms. This includes virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the very essence of the internet. The metaverse signifies the internet’s evolution, offering users an immersive realm where they can create value, socialize, learn, play, and more, transcending the confines of the physical world.
It serves as a canvas for creativity, fostering collaboration and innovation, allowing users to craft, alter, and share diverse virtual realms mirroring their ideals and beliefs. Beyond mere amusement and social interaction, the metaverse emerges as a pivotal arena where societal life unfolds.
During the Red Sea Film Festival in December 2022, Yat Siu, the co-founder and executive chairman of Hong Kong’s Animoca Brands, shared a thought-provoking insight, especially the last sentence: As the world becomes more and more digitally connected, the barriers between the physical and the digital become blurrier. “When people are spending most of their time online, their virtual identities become more valuable than their physical ones,” said Siu, who advised anyone looking to invest in the metaverse to experience it for themselves instead of becoming liable to common misconceptions around concepts such as NFTs, crypto and blockchain. “If you want to do business in the Metaverse, you have to enter.”
Oftentimes, the phrase “down the rabbit hole,” borrowed from Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” is used as a metaphor for entering the Metaverse. Just like Alice’s descent into the enigmatic depths of Wonderland, those who venture into the Metaverse find themselves drawn into a surreal and mesmerizing digital realm.
Indeed, while the darker aspects of the Metaverse, such as scammers and speculators, may garner attention, it’s crucial to recognize the collective endeavor dedicated to establishing its solid foundations. This concerted effort aims to pave the way for a more secure and promising future for all participants, ensuring that the Metaverse evolves into a thriving digital reality.