If there is one topic that everyone is talking about, it is the metaverse. This term, which seems futuristic, appeared 30 years ago in the science fiction novel Snow Crash (1992), where Neal Stephenson describes a type of collective virtual space, compatible with physical reality, which he calls the metaverse (“beyond the universe”).
To define it clearly, one must understand the evolution of the internet from its beginnings until today and, especially, the role that the user has played within it. At first, the user browsed the internet to obtain content, without being able to influence it directly. Internet 2.0 was a radical change that allowed users to upload their own content (social networks have undoubtedly played a major role). On the Internet 3.0 world, the content will be the users themselves.
What exactly is the metaverse and why are we talking about it in a publication about trademarks?
The metaverse is a network of virtual environments in which anyone can interact with other users and digital objects, through virtual representations of themselves (called “avatars”). It aims to become the ultimate immersive experience in the virtual world in such a way that we not only use the internet, but also become a part of it. It intends to create a complete ecosystem where consumers can work, socialise, have fun, and collaborate with a fully digital identity. Unlike today’s internet, where the experience is always through a screen, the metaverse offers a fully immersive space where all senses are activated.
The metaverse has three essential characteristics:
