Editing Metaverse (section)

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Short description|Collective three-dimensional virtual shared space}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Distinguish|Multiverse}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
[[File:Second Life 11th Birthday Live Drax Files Radio Hour.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|[[Avatar (computing)|Avatars]] socialising in the virtual world ''[[Second Life]]''|alt=A screenshot of Second Life with people-like models sitting outside on couches around a coffee table. The person second from the right is in a red character suit. In the background in the distance, behind matchstick-shaped trees, are four towers. One tower is glowing with energy, and the tower on the far right is actually a giant space suit. Being a video game from the 2000s, the graphical fidelity is low, lacking shadows, ambient occlusion, and complex materials.]]

The '''metaverse''' is a loosely defined term referring to [[virtual world]]s in which users represented by [[Avatar (computing)|avatars]] interact,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=RITTERBUSCH |first1=GEORG DAVID |last2=TEICHMANN |first2=AND MALTE ROLF |date=9 February 2023 |title=Defining the Metaverse: A Systematic Literature Review |journal=IEEE Access|volume=11 |pages=12368–12377 |doi=10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3241809 |bibcode=2023IEEEA..1112368R |doi-access=free }}</ref> usually in 3D and focused on social and economic connection.<ref name=":032">{{Cite web |last=Newton |first=Casey |date=July 22, 2021 |title=Mark Zuckerberg is betting Facebook's future on the metaverse |url=https://www.theverge.com/22588022/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-ceo-metaverse-interview |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025042942/https://www.theverge.com/22588022/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-ceo-metaverse-interview |archive-date=October 25, 2021 |access-date=October 25, 2021 |website=The Verge}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite journal |last1=Ritterbusch |first1=Georg David |last2=Teichmann |first2=Malte Rolf |date=2023 |title=Defining the Metaverse: A Systematic Literature Review |journal=IEEE Access |volume=11 |pages=12368–12377 |bibcode=2023IEEEA..1112368R |doi=10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3241809 |issn=2169-3536 |s2cid=256562095 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Robertson |first=Adi |date=October 4, 2021 |title=What is the metaverse, and do I have to care? |url=https://www.theverge.com/22701104/metaverse-explained-fortnite-roblox-facebook-horizon |access-date=March 9, 2022 |website=The Verge}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Clark |first=Peter Allen |date=November 15, 2021 |title=What Is the Metaverse and Why Should I Care? |url=https://time.com/6116826/what-is-the-metaverse/ |access-date=December 29, 2021 |magazine=Time}}</ref> 

The term ''metaverse'' originated in the 1992 science fiction novel ''[[Snow Crash]]'' as a [[portmanteau]] of "[[Meta (prefix)|meta]]" and "[[universe]]".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zenou |first=Theo |date=June 30, 2022 |title=A novel predicted the metaverse (and hyperinflation) 30 years ago |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/06/30/snow-crash-neal-stephenson-metaverse/ |access-date=September 7, 2022 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ball |first=Matthew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pdZKEAAAQBAJ&q=%22snow+crash%22 |title=The Metaverse: And How it Will Revolutionize Everything |date=July 19, 2022 |publisher=Liveright Publishing |isbn=978-1-324-09204-9}}</ref> In ''Snow Crash'', the metaverse is envisioned as a version of the [[Internet]] that is a single, universal, and immersive [[virtual world]], facilitated by the use of [[virtual reality]] (VR) and [[augmented reality]] (AR) headsets.<ref name="O'Brian-Chan">{{cite news |last1=O'Brian |first1=Matt |last2=Chan |first2=Kelvin |date=October 28, 2021 |title=EXPLAINER: What is the metaverse and how will it work? |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/explainer-metaverse-work-80842516 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204012219/https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/explainer-metaverse-work-80842516 |archive-date=December 4, 2021 |access-date=December 4, 2021 |work=ABC News |agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref name=":032" /> 

The term "metaverse" is often linked to virtual reality technology,<ref name=":82">{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Dalvin |date=August 30, 2021 |title=What is the 'metaverse'? Facebook says it's the future of the Internet. |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/08/30/what-is-the-metaverse/ |access-date=November 1, 2021}}</ref><ref name=":32">{{Cite web |last=Antin |first=Doug |date=May 5, 2020 |title=The Technology of the Metaverse, It's Not Just VR |url=https://medium.com/swlh/the-technology-of-the-metaverse-its-not-just-vr-78fb3c603fe9 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025222109/https://medium.com/swlh/the-technology-of-the-metaverse-its-not-just-vr-78fb3c603fe9 |archive-date=October 25, 2021 |access-date=October 25, 2021 |website=The Startup}}</ref> and beginning in the early 2020s, with [[Web3]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fannin |first=Rebecca |date=April 14, 2022 |title=Hong Kong's 'Mr. Metaverse' on why he's placing a big Web3 bet against Mark Zuckerberg |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/14/mr-metaverse-on-why-hes-placing-a-web3-bet-against-mark-zuckerberg.html |access-date=April 26, 2022 |website=CNBC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=April 8, 2022 |title=The Metaverse Requires a Whole New Vocabulary to Navigate Web3 |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-08/what-s-the-metaverse-web3-terms-for-a-new-virtual-world |access-date=April 26, 2022}}</ref> The term has been used as a [[buzzword]] by companies<ref name="O'Brian-Chan" /><ref name="Fischer">{{cite news |last1=Fischer |first1=Sarah |date=November 16, 2021 |title="Metaverse" is Wall Street's new favorite buzzword |work=[[Axios (website)|Axios]] |url=https://www.axios.com/2021/11/16/metaverse-wall-streets-favorite-buzzword |url-status=live |access-date=December 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204012219/https://news.yahoo.com/metaverse-wall-streets-favorite-buzzword-105525196.html |archive-date=December 4, 2021}}</ref> to exaggerate the development progress of various related technologies and projects for [[public relations]] purposes.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ravenscraft |first=Eric |date=December 26, 2021 |title=The Metaverse Land Rush Is an Illusion |url=https://www.wired.com/story/metaverse-land-rush-illusion/ |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028 |access-date=December 28, 2021}}</ref> [[Information privacy]], user addiction, and user safety are concerns within the metaverse, stemming from challenges facing the social media and video game industries as a whole.<ref name="O'Brian-Chan" /><ref name=":22">{{Cite news |last=Needleman |first=Sarah E. |date=October 16, 2021 |title=The Amazing Things You'll Do in the 'Metaverse' and What It Will Take to Get There |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-amazing-things-youll-do-in-the-metaverse-and-what-it-will-take-to-get-there-11634396401 |url-status=live |access-date=October 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025044104/https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-amazing-things-youll-do-in-the-metaverse-and-what-it-will-take-to-get-there-11634396401 |archive-date=October 25, 2021 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref><ref name=":102">{{Cite book|last1=Rajan|first1=Amala|last2=Nassiri|first2=Nasser|last3=Akre|first3=Vishwesh|last4=Ravikumar|first4=Rejitha|last5=Nabeel|first5=Amal|last6=Buti|first6=Maryam|last7=Salah|first7=Fatima|title=2018 Fifth HCT Information Technology Trends (ITT)|date=November 1, 2018|chapter=Virtual Reality Gaming Addiction|chapter-url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331347512|pages=358–363|doi=10.1109/CTIT.2018.8649547|isbn=978-1-5386-7147-4|s2cid=67876446|access-date=November 3, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207063210/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331347512_Virtual_Reality_Gaming_Addiction|url-status=live}}</ref>