2D TO 3D – THE FUTURE OF INTERNET

Virtual digital footprint is now going to happen in 3D. Internet is slowly, yet steadily moving towards its 3D avatar. 2D is already becoming a passe. The gaming industry will vouch for it. We are all on the verge of becoming avatars. Everything mentioned in Snowcrash, a novel written thirty years back by an American science fiction writer, has come to reality. Digital Twins; for literally anything and everything will become our functional mode. This is Metaverse, the universe of tomorrow. The world is gearing for it. It will bring in the biggest paradigm shift in human existence, might be the most impact-making in human history. The internet’s first information revolution, would look puny in comparison. But the other reality is that the Internet has defined human existence as no other technology, since its advent.

Welcome to the bold tech world of Metaverse. The universe and metaverse will synthesize into one dreamworld. Stephenson talks about in his book about a world in which using computers, people create a 3D virtual world, similar to the real one. Metaverse has been nascent, gaming being one example, has been gaining popularity now and it has pushed companies to build their products with Metaverse in mind. Why did Metaverse come into existence is the moot question? The simple answer is that convenience used to be a choice earlier but for Gen Z, it is indispensable. An analogy would prove the point, try to remember Sunday grocery shopping as a dedicated activity earlier, today it is real time through online apps. The GenNext wants bigger conveniences and so the Metaverse.

The missing link of online sales is the experience we have been talking about for quite sometime. The real product’s feel, look, visual size and proportion have been missing. In the Metaverse, for the e-commerce companies, the missing link has been happening; the touch and feel experience. ”Shoppers will be able to see what clothes, shoes, or furniture look like on them, at home, etc. before buying.” A Walmart store on Metaverse would provide you with the same experience end to end. The price of the items selected would be automatically debited from your Walmart account and the stuff would be delivered the same day. Last year, ”the Italian luxury brand Gucci partnered with Roblox, an online gaming platform, to offer a digital-only limited edition of Gucci collection.”

What you cannot do in the Metaverse is the question to be asked? It seems now that human existence would be elevated  to a different level. You can catch up with colleagues over coffee. You can learn about history and science being in that era. You have the choice to even bring down the planets for a closer look. What fun would it be, to attend the concerts of your favorite singers anywhere on earth. As mentioned, you can shop and most interestingly buy property or even visit a bank etc. South Korean Kookmin Bank has created KB Financial Platform on the Metaverse platform Gather. ”It’s a virtual branch wherein customers can move around in their avatars and talk to the banking advisers.” When talking to payments, cryptocurrencies would come in handy. Is it not way beyond the real world? What is the real world then?

Sanjay Sahay