What is the Metaverse?

Origin - Metaverse Origin:

The term "Metaverse" has evolved over time, but it generally refers to a persistent, interconnected network of 3D virtual worlds.

The metaverse is a term that describes a fully immersive internet, where people can access augmented and virtual reality and interact with various environments using persistent avatars and innovative digital technology. The concept of the metaverse is not new, as it has a long and rich history that spans from the 19th century to the present day. Some of the key historical milestones that have shaped and influenced the metaverse are:

Timeline of the Metaverse (1983 to Today)

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• 1983: Birth of the internet. The article Artificial Intelligence for the Metaverse: A Survey listed 1993 as the birth of the internet, which is not the generally accepted date; January 1, 1983 is considered the official birthday of the Internet because that’s when Transfer Control Protocol/Internetwork Protocol (TCP/IP) was released, enabling computer networks to “talk” to each other.
• 1993: The first web-browser, Mesh, was released.
• 1992: Metaverse name coined in Snow Crash , written by Neal Stephenson.
• 1993: Proof-of-Work invented by Cynthia Dwork and Moni Naor. In a nutshell, PoW expends energy to verify cryptocurrency.
• 1998: B-money arrives. B-money is the first system where all transactions are publicly (but anonymously) broadcast.
• 2002: Digital twins. Dr. Grieves, an expert in Product Lifecycle Management introduced the digital twin concept for designing, testing, manufacturing and supporting products in the virtual world.
• 2003: Second life is launched. SL is an “immersive, three-dimensional (3D) environment that supports a high level of social networking and interaction with information”. Second Life may be the first instance of a large-scale, metaverse-type world.
• 2006: Roblox is released. The gaming platform has been described as a “proto-Metaverse with a path to the Metaverse” foundational elements for the metaverse including immersive experiences, avatars that persist across games, and a digital economy.
• 2009: Bitcoin becomes the first cryptocurrency, which “transformed the way we think about money”.
• 2009: Blockchain initial code is launched. Nakamoto created the cryptocurrency to be a form of peer-to-peer cash that could be sent without the need for a central authority to operate and maintain the ledger.
• *2011: Ready Player One,***a novel by Ernest Cline, is released. RPO went on to inspire “real” VR. Cline is quoted as saying “What’s really astounding to me is a lot of the guys at Oculus VR and other companies who were creating VR tell me that Ready Player One is one of their primary inspirations in getting into virtual reality,”
• 2012: NFTs emerge from a “coloured coin”, initially issued on the Bitcoin blockchain.
• 2014: Facebook buys Oculus, a VR headset that has already revolutionised games. Facebook/Meta promises the headset will “revolutionise digital social interaction, and after that, the world.”