For a long time, the members of the technological community have imagined new and revolutionary tools capable of expanding the web universe, and what once seemed like a distant goal to reach has become a reality today.

The brainchild of science fiction writer Neal Stephenson, the concept of “metaverse” appears for the first time in his cyberpunk book Snow Crash published in 1992. Today the term defines a persistent virtual world based on Blockchain in which, thanks to an avatar, it is possible to lead a real asynchronous life parallel to physical existence.

Video games and gaming platforms such as Roblox, Microsoft’s Minecraft and Epic Games’ Fortnite seem to be the first leaders in the race to conquer the metaverse, with a good number of investors and users increasingly intrigued by the possibilities that digital offers.

But what differentiates the concept of metaverse from video games is the absence of a regulation: there are no scores to earn, nor levels to reach. You can, however, carry out many activities, ranging from common actions feasible in the real dimension – such as taking a walk, taking part in a concert, visiting an exhibition – up to the creation of spaces aimed at the promotion of one’s own activities and the creation of exclusive collaborations.

Among the first companies that approached this tool is Facebook, well-known company of Mark Zuckerberg who, during the Connect 2021 conference, announced the new name of his company, Meta, and an investment of 10 billion dollars a year to create an open ecosystem.

The goal behind this drastic rebrand would be to overcome the current form of a simple social network, to build an articulated universe able to understand the needs and desires of users thanks to the support of modern technologies.

It will take some time before Meta reaches its full form, but Zuckerberg has shown in advance some future metaverse applications, such as improved games, travel, shopping with 3D avatars, parties and ceremonies, all in virtual reality.