The Metaverse Reimagined: Building a Better Story
Envision an expansive realm where you can traverse boundless dimensions, at any time, with anyone you desire. A realm where creativity knows no bounds, where interactions are limitless, and where you have the power to mold your reality and identity. This realm is the metaverse, the thrilling frontier of the digital universe.
But what exactly is the metaverse? How did it come into existence, and why should it matter to you? In the following article, we will delve into the importance of constructing a captivating narrative for the metaverse, addressing media skepticism and crafting a positive vision for the internet's future.
Exploring the Metaverse: A Journey Through Digital Realms
The metaverse isn't confined to a single platform or technology; rather, it's an intricate tapestry of interconnected platforms and technologies. It serves as a gateway for users to access and co-create shared virtual experiences. Moreover, it's a dynamic and ever-evolving entity that reflects the collective creativity and imagination of its users.
Why the Metaverse Deserves a Better Story?
The metaverse holds tremendous potential to revolutionize our communication, work, learning, entertainment, and way of life. It promises unparalleled possibilities for fun, education, collaboration, innovation, and societal impact. It offers users a chance to express themselves and connect with others in profound ways.
Nonetheless, the metaverse encounters significant challenges in gaining public recognition and acceptance.
Many individuals remain unfamiliar with the term or hold misconceptions about its nature. Certain media outlets depict the metaverse as a dystopian or hazardous phenomenon, endangering privacy, security, and social cohesion. Moreover, various industry players harbor conflicting visions of what the metaverse should be and how it should be constructed.
These obstacles hinder the metaverse's development, adoption, and its potential positive impact on society. To surmount these challenges, the metaverse demands a more compelling narrative – one that clarifies what it is, why it's important, sparks curiosity and enthusiasm, encourages participation and cooperation, celebrates diversity and ingenuity, and shapes the future of the internet.
How Can We Make a Better Story for the Metaverse?
Forging a potent narrative for the metaverse is no easy feat. It necessitates addressing a multitude of issues and devising solutions that involve numerous stakeholders. Here, we spotlight key problems and propose potential solutions:
Solving Metaverse's Public Image Predicament. How Do We Elevate Metaverse Brands?
Picture this: the metaverse, a groundbreaking concept poised to redefine human interaction and overhaul entire industries, is consistently overshadowed by misunderstandings and skepticism propagated by the media. This issue transcends mere awareness; it's a battle for perception.
The metaverse's lack of understanding and recognition among the public and media yields far-reaching consequences. It tarnishes the metaverse's reputation, restricts its potential, and impedes innovation. When headlines focus on the negative aspects of Meta's vision or dwell on potential pitfalls, the metaverse's true promise remains hidden.
For example, when Meta announced its rebranding and its vision for the metaverse, many media outlets were quick to criticize and mock the company’s ambitions. Some media outlets have criticized the metaverse as being dystopian or monopolistic. The metaverse has also been associated with several controversies, such as privacy concerns and monopolistic practices.
These controversies have been widely reported in the media, leading to cynicism and skepticism[1].
As with any new technology, the metaverse has potential pitfalls that need to be addressed. However, when the media focuses solely on these pitfalls, it can create a negative perception of the technology. This lack of innovation can further perpetuate cynicism towards the metaverse.
The biased, sensationalized articles are also inaccurate, neglect the metaverse's diverse, positive impacts across education, health, entertainment, and social well-being.
Not all media attention, however, negative. Some recognize the metaverse's potential. For example, VentureBeat's "The metaverse will feel alive once ‘storytelling’ becomes ‘storyliving’" explores immersive narratives. Immersive Wire's "Making a Better Story for Metaverse" suggests using spatial computing and highlighting positive impacts.
These balanced, informative, inspirational, and visionary articles underscore that the metaverse transcends technology; it's a culture. They highlight that the metaverse is a collaborative effort of diverse actors and communities and that it represents the future of the internet.
To counter this challenge, the metaverse needs an enhanced public relations strategy. It must showcase its positive impact, diverse applications, and immersive experiences. It must narrate stories that resonate with and inspire people, encouraging them to become part of the metaverse.
Furthermore, There Is More in The Metaverse Than Storytelling. Explore Storyliving in The Metaverse
The metaverse is not a passive medium; it's an active one. It doesn't exist for people to watch stories; it exists for people to live them. The metaverse must transcend storytelling and embrace storyliving[2].
Storyliving is the art of crafting interactive and immersive narratives that engage the audience in meaningful ways. It involves making the audience feel like active participants, not just passive observers. Storyliving capitalizes on the metaverse's unique features, such as spatial computing, social presence, and user-generated content, to create dynamic worlds responsive to the audience's actions and choices.
Examples of storyliving in the metaverse include:
- The Under Presents: A VR experience blending live theater, multiplayer gaming, and improvisation. Audiences can explore surreal realms, interact with live actors and participants, and even shape unfolding narratives.
- Fortnite: An online game hosting live events featuring celebrities, musicians, and brands. Audiences can join these events with their avatars, dancing, chatting, and enjoying the spectacle.
- Decentraland: A virtual world where users can create, own, and monetize content. Audiences can visit diverse districts like casinos, museums, or music festivals, participating in various activities and games.
Metaverse's Identity for Companies
The metaverse, by its very essence, is diverse and adaptable, spanning various platforms, technologies, and visions. This inherent diversity poses a fundamental problem—ambiguity and disagreement regarding its definition and scope. Is it virtual reality, augmented reality, spatial computing, or something entirely distinct?
The lack of consensus leads to industry fragmentation, hindering collaboration and progress. Imagine attempting to connect worlds that speak different languages. Consider instances of how the industry has defined and labeled the metaverse differently. A study of the metaverse reveals a lack of consistent definition. There are many different and conflicting ways of describing and understanding the Metaverse. It’s not clear if the Metaverse is real, emerging, or impossible. The Metaverse is constantly evolving and expanding with new elements[3].
When Meta (formerly Facebook) introduced its rebranding and metaverse vision, describing it as "a set of virtual spaces where you can create and explore with other people who aren't in the same physical space as you." Meta emphasized that it wasn't building the metaverse alone but rather contributing alongside many other companies and creators, centric to its products and platforms.
In November 2021, Microsoft presented its vision of the metaverse, defining it as "the next evolution of computing that connects the physical and digital worlds in new ways." Microsoft advocated for an open and interoperable metaverse ecosystem, focusing on its technologies and services.
These examples reveal a lack of agreement or consensus among different industry stakeholders regarding the metaverse's nature and purpose. Each entity holds its perspective and agenda, potentially conflicting with others. This confusion and inconsistency create challenges and barriers for collaboration and interoperability among diverse platforms and systems.
To surmount this challenge, the metaverse requires a clear and consistent identity. It must define its core values, common standards, and shared vision. It must communicate this identity to the public, media, and stakeholders. It must narrate stories that elucidate what the metaverse is, why it matters, and how it functions.
Now, the Complexity Challenge Among Audiences: Simplifying Metaverse Technology
The metaverse is a complex entity, encompassing numerous technologies, experiences, and possibilities. While this complexity fosters innovation, it presents a challenge—how can we simplify and convey this complexity to a diverse audience?
Many people may find technical jargon like VR/AR/MR/XR or blockchain/NFTs/Web3 bewildering. Likewise, fully grasping and enjoying immersive experiences often necessitates firsthand experience. Moreover, individuals might struggle to connect their present reality with their prospective metaverse reality.
Technical terminology, acronyms, and intricate concepts can overwhelm, creating a divide between the metaverse and those who could benefit the most. To unlock the metaverse's full potential, we must make it accessible and relatable. To tackle this complexity conundrum, we must seek ways to make the metaverse more accessible and relatable to a diverse audience.
One avenue is through storytelling, as suggested by VentureBeat[2]. The metaverse can transform storytelling into storyliving, enabling individuals to partake in immersive and interactive narratives guided by their choices and actions. Crafting compelling stories that illustrate the metaverse's value and potential can capture people's attention, fuel their imagination, and inspire exploration and creation within the metaverse.
Another approach involves simplifying and conveying the metaverse's complexity through metaphors and analogies. As proposed by Immersive Wire, we can employ spatial computing for the metaverse, aligning with the immersive and social qualities of the future internet4. Drawing inspiration from Apple's storytelling prowess, known for creating straightforward and emotionally resonant narratives, can help bridge the gap between the metaverse and people's everyday experiences, aiding comprehension and appreciation of its potential.
Additionally, we can emphasize the metaverse's positive impacts and benefits across various sectors and domains. The metaverse can facilitate remote education and training for underserved regions, offer new avenues for mental health therapy and physical rehabilitation, and provide solutions to real-world problems.
Simplifying and conveying the metaverse's complexity is a multifaceted challenge that demands creativity, empathy, and collaboration. This approach can foster a culture of innovation, inclusion, and sustainability, reflecting the true potential of the metaverse.
Conclusion: Crafting a Better Metaverse Narrative for Business
The metaverse isn't just technology; it's a culture. It mirrors our collective imagination and creativity, shaping our reality, identity, communication, interaction, lives, and society.
Yet, the metaverse is also a story. A story we share about what it is and why it matters. A story we construct and convey through our experiences and expressions. A story we shape through our participation and collaboration.
The metaverse craves a more compelling story. A story that elucidates, inspires, invites, and celebrates. A story that demystifies the metaverse, making it more understandable, accessible, and desirable. A story that brings the metaverse to life.
Together, we can weave a better story for the metaverse.
Notes and References
- Ffiske, T. (2023, August 8). The metaverse needs a better story. Immersive Wire. https://www.immersivewire.com/p/better-story-metaverse#:~:text=Media%20cynicism%20and%20the,across%20a%20metal%20casket
- Farough, A. (2021, January 29). The metaverse will feel alive once ‘storytelling’ becomes ‘storyliving’ VentureBeat. https://venturebeat.com/games/the-metaverse-will-feel-alive-once-storytelling-becomes-storyliving/
- Dolata, M., & Schwabe, G. (2023). What is the Metaverse and who seeks to define it? Mapping the site of social construction. Journal of Information Technology, 026839622311599. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02683962231159927
- Ffiske T. (2023, May 18).The Metaverse Needs a Better Story. Immersive Wire. https://www.immersivewire.com/p/better-story-metaverse
