Today, everyday office life already takes place predominantly on the world wide web. Fax machines are disappearing, paper letters are becoming less common, and people are communicating via video chat or messenger: all this is the noticeable digital transformation. But major corporations are tinkering with new technologies that could take the Internet as we know it today to a whole new level: the metaverse. But what is behind the term? And will it be the new Internet? And will it be the We’ll explain what it’s all about and why Facebook plays a key role here.new Internet?

At first glance, the metaverse sounds like scenes from a science fiction movie, but it’s not that far from reality. The basic idea behind the metaverse consists of the assumption that our today 2-dimensional professional and private life will evolve into a third dimension. To explain, today we move between our real and natural world and that of the virtual Internet – by logging into or communicating through applications via computers, tablets or smartphones. The further development could then be the three-dimensional Internet. For example, our meetings will take place in a virtual office and at the same time we will be made to feel like we are really sitting in that room – only we are virtual avatars of ourselves there. Virtual reality (VR) glasses or, in the future, contact lenses will give us access to this. Anyone who has ever worn VR glasses (e.g. from the gaming sector) can better imagine this topic and has already had a small glimpse of what the (virtual) world of tomorrow will look like.

CosH Tip: If you have the opportunity, try out Google Earth’s VR application. We were impressed! To Google Earth VR

With the idea of the metaverse, the real and cyber worlds are increasingly merging. According to experts, in the future we will spend much of our time in virtual worlds and even visit vacation spots – without ever getting on a plane.

How is the metaverse changing the world of work? Two examples

1. Meetings

Let’s take an example here: Employees can create their working environment the way they want it. You come to your office, which is decorated in your favorite colors, your desired furniture is ready and the technical equipment is just as you want it.

In the afternoon, a meeting with business partners from China is scheduled. You meet in a virtual meeting room with Asian flair and, after the greeting, sit down together at the meeting table and can look around in all directions and perceive impressions from the Far East – even though you are sitting at home in your own four walls.

For the evening meeting with colleagues from the USA, the meeting room looks completely different again. In the skyscraper of New York you can see from the window in real time the traffic in the streets of the metropolis.

That’s what’s special about Metaversum: Everyone creates their own optimal working environment – and if something doesn’t fit, it can be changed with just a few clicks – which increases motivation.

2. 3D views and interactions

With a voice command, the meeting table you just used disappears and a 3D model of a component your team is working on appears. Screws can be turned, flaps opened, dimensions precisely checked or simply colors changed. What software shows us on our computer screen today can be better visualized and reshaped in groups and at “life size” in the metaverse.

What does Facebook have to do with the metaverse?

As the largest social network and communications company, Facebook wants to be a pioneer in the metaverse. Facebook has already gained its first experience in the VR sector with the purchase of the well-known VR glasses manufacturer “Oculus”. Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg wants to create a digital world where people can live and work. There should no longer be just the “normal” Internet, but people should be able to enter a virtual reality world and do all the things they do in their daily lives. Over the next 5 years, Facebook aims to create 10,000 new jobs within the EU to make the metaverse a reality. A current pioneer in the metaverse is the traditional English club Manchester United. Together with Sony, Manchester United is bringing its stadium to the metaverse to reach fans worldwide. At the end of October 2021, Zuckerberg also announced Facebook’s new name: From now on, the group will be called “Meta”, signaling where the journey is headed. Together with Oculus, Facebook is already developing the so-called the virtual world called “Horizon World”. Only two details are still unclear: When the technology will be usable for everyday life and whether it will really be as practical as Zuckerberg hopes is still up in the air.