MATTHEW NGUYEN

Metaverse: Blockchain-Based Communication and the Next Step-Change for Human Communication

The metaverse, from niche concept in a 90s cyberpunk novel to current tech buzzword, the popularity of this emerging technology has rippled through society from investors and media alike. The concept generally refers to a virtual world where people can live out fully functional lives. It’s enabled by advances in augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) (which
are commonly referred together as XR) - technologies which allow users to better immerse and interact with these virtual worlds through headsets and hand consoles.

Facebook rebranding to Meta in late 2021 peaked public interest in the concept, but for children of the internet such as myself - the concept was anything but new. Immersive online worlds defined the experience of the post-Y2K internet for many now-older millennials. Second Life, World of Warcraft, Minecraft and the Matrix, the sci-fi and gaming imaginaries have been priming digital natives for the eventual coming of the metaverse since Snowcrash.