The Future Is: The Metaverse

Societal tension is part of the friction that gives innovation its momentum. The debate between ‘live-verse’ and ‘meta-verse’ is shaping how we will choose to optimize our overall health and happiness in the future. Some will choose to remain off the grid, while others will plunge head first into a more high-tech universe. Either way, there will be an abundance of places to explore as we open up galaxy travel and final-frontier freedom. We’ve only skimmed the surface.

Technology in many ways has become the great equalizer. All of us now have new worlds to escape into, create inside, and rediscover what entertainment can represent. In the future, our ‘digital twins’ will be living, creating, dining, working, socializing, attending events, gaming, dating, and even sleeping, in gaming and collective virtual environments known as ‘metaverses.’ We, as our digital twins, will be buying anything from food to cars, and clothes to concert tickets, art, real estate, conference passes, investments, and more. In this week’s edition, we explore how the metaverse will enable our avatars to find health and happiness in these new immersive worlds.

NOW: CULTURAL SIGNAL – HOLOGRAM MEALS WITH ANYONE

What’s Fresh: ‘Two Hearts Pizzeria’ connects diners located at opposite ends of the United Kingdom with a real-time, holographics dining experience. The pioneering experiment was put on by Gigabit Network designed to present diners with live holographic images of other people who were 400 miles away. Loved ones separated by the pandemic were able to see, hear and interact in real time – virtually ‘going out’ to dinner together.

How it changes the game: Revolutionizing workplace and social events across broad spectrums of how we interact with one another. With higher rates of depression surfacing from the pandemic, this technology is taking strides to relieve longing and loneliness.

3 Actions Steps for Brands:

• Bring in real-time connection strategies to unify your remote workforce.
• If you’re a restaurant, explore this new research and how to expand your reach as a company.
• Ensure employees and stakeholders are aware new technology will make it possible for less screen time and more interactive meetings, even when physically separated by time zones.

NOW: SUSTAINABLE FASHION GOES DIGITAL

What’s Fresh: The digital fashion house business is commanding higher prices over live fashion. The world’s first digital-only dress from Fabricant sold for $9,500. While the revenue potential is great, the true benefit of digital fashion is its sustainability. It has zero production waste or emissions, and can also be reused as many times as an avatar wishes.

How it changes the game: Many Gen Zs and young millennials have grown up blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, with virtual worlds becoming a second home. The digital-only fashion sector breeds a playful and creative space that sustainably expresses identity and individuality.

3 Actions Steps for Brands:

• Revolutionize your thinking about accessibility, experience and acceptance around digital realities becoming a greater part of our reality.
• The over-excessive use of instagram filters is pointing toward a longing for deeper more innovative virtual spaces to express and perform various sides of identity and personality.
• 3D technology allows freedom for designers to visually explore new digital shapes, textures and materials.

NEXT: META CITIES

What’s Emerging: All the products we buy and use today will also exist in meta cities of the future. Imagine buying a home in a live neighborhood then buying your second home in an immersive ‘metahood,’ found using an avatar real estate broker. ComplexLand turned its famous fashion and music festival into a virtual meta city. People could show up as themselves or another character.

3 Things to Prepare for:

• An omniverse of both virtual and live events happening at the same time.
• Stronger emphasis on environmental care and an ethos of greener living.
• Components of reality will be replicated almost entirely through digital means.

HAPPENINGS ON HUMBOLDT

One of our project manager’s Sandy Hazzard works her magic collaborating with everyone around the office. Even at home, her boys know the importance of keeping a level balance.