Have you ever wanted to experience snowfall sitting on your couch? Or Have you ever thought of flying in the air? Of course, we have had such wild yet impossible thoughts once in our lifetime. However, the evolution in the industry has something on the plate. Thanks to the high-tech advancements and developments, we can surely witness such experiences- like attending weddings from home, playing with snow in summer, or enjoying the rides on the couch. Such a virtual universe where we can interact in real-time is termed a Metaverse.
METAVERSE- THE PARALLEL UNIVERSE
Metaverse is a vast digital universe that exists in the real world. In this digital world, one can find oneself as an avatar, an animated version of a person, interacting and communicating in a computer-generated environment. It is said to be a big step in human evolution, which would affect our real-time communication soon. However, the concept of Metaverse was not introduced in the 2000s but rather in 1992 in the novel SNOWCRASH by Neil Stevenson.
IMMERSING IN THE METAVERSE
For the past few years, it gained massive popularity and commenced influencing people’s lives in many ways. Talking about its core, AR – Augmented Reality, VR – Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality – hybrid AR – VR are the basic foundations of the Metaverse. AR tends to make images superimposed in the real world. For instance in games like PokemonGo, one can feel the existence of Pokemon in the real world only till the phone is kept in front. VR creates a whole environment i.e. it takes you to a different world as soon as you put on your headware. For instance, there are now many versions of movies like 3d, 4d,9d, etc. Mixed Reality creates holograms that enhance real-time interaction. For example, in meetings, you can use holograms to make it more impactful.
Microsoft started their own mixed reality devices – HoloLens, and HoloLens 2 for interaction and its applications. HoloLens 2 aided in the medical field and also in _NASA Spacecraft Mission Orion. We, knowingly or unknowingly, have advent being a part of the Metaverse from using cryptocurrency or NFTs to playing games, we have commenced immersing ourselves into the Metaverse.
EXPERIENCING THE UNREAL
Though we have developed and advanced so much like fast connections and broad bandwidth, head wares, it would take around 5 to 10 years to make the Metaverse mainstream. Nevertheless, Metaverse would certainly elevate the virtual reality experience to a whole new level. From organizing concerts to holding weddings, people have already started to immerse themselves in this virtual world.
There would certainly be a drastic change in certain things like interaction, tourism, gaming, and e-commerce. Daler Mehendi became the first singer to hold a virtual concert which was a big success and embarked on India’s debut in the digital world. Nike created a store named NikeLand in Metaverse where LeBron virtually coached the children. The VR Park in Dubai gives us some unreal experiences like flying from Burj Khalifa or using drone taxis etc. Facebook Metaverse renamed itself as Meta. This would also be a benefactor for children as they could perform the tests or experiments without being subject to any risk associated. Moreover, the 3d tour of the universities, hotels, and monuments brings a whole different experience. The gaming industry has already absorbed the Metaverse. Games like Fortnite are a testament to it where the characters can connect and interact among themselves collecting virtual currency and upgrading clothes and avatars. E-commerce is also set to undergo a drastic evolution. The avatars would visit virtual shops and you could experience items through AR and VR. Few companies have even sold their products in the Metaverse using digital currency like NFT or cryptocurrency.
THE PARASITE TO THE EMERGING METAVERSE
Since the boundary between the real world and the virtual world is becoming thinner and has been fading, we must be concerned about the safe environment since a lot of sensitive data would be stored in the Metaverse. The digital world as it grows would be easily accessible to plagiarize data or distribute data without proper acknowledgement. The constant terror of having your avatar hacked or getting your original plagiarized is a rising concern. Thus, there must be some strict rules and regulations implemented at the early stage to prevent any future mis happenings. To tackle such situations, several measures should be taken into consideration:
Implementing Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems can be beneficial in preventing any unauthorized copying and distribution of digital content. Education and Awareness play a key role in such instances. Educating people about upholding the honors of originality and spreading awareness about the circumstances one can face for plagiarism or any sort of illicit action or cybercrime. Last but not least, is to create a transparent and liable record of the content ownership using Blockchain Technology to ensure that the content creators receive the desired credits and appreciation.
CONCLUSION
To summarize, the Metaverse stands as a thrilling new frontier in digital innovation, promising boundless opportunities for interaction, creativity, and commerce. Yet, amidst all these prospects lie challenges, particularly in safeguarding intellectual property and countering plagiarism. Through embracing technological advancements and promoting awareness, we can develop a Metaverse that upholds and honors originality and creativity.
Written By
Divya Singal
Project Cum Internship Student
Veridical Technologies
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