Hello fellow steemians , hope you are all doing well . Today I choose to write a task by cryptoacademy which is about Metaverse. Let's get ready.

Define your understanding of the Metaverse. What has the Metaverse aimed to achieve? Is Metaverse here fully with us yet?

To facilitate a smooth transition into the understanding of the Metaverse, let's all press the flashback button of our memory to pull out the experiences that we have gained in the past while interacting with the second generation and third generation of the internet. With 2G and 3G speed Internet net, browsing was the only means of dissemination of information and so were the other use cases of the internet like social media platforms and gaming apps etc. With the evolution of 4G internet, besides browsing other means of dissemination of information like videos have come to the forefront. Numerous use cases of the internet have unfolded.

We shifted from chatting to video calling, browsing to youtube, newspaper matrimonials to dating apps, Google to Youtube, 2D movies to 3D theatres, plane glasses to virtual glasses, 2D games to 3D simulated games etc.

From the various mentioned use cases that we have seen during the 4G internet period, let me specifically emphasise on 3D movies that we watch in theatres while putting on VR glasses. We perceive all the moments going on the screen in three dimensions and therefore seems more realistic and gives us the essence of belongingness to whatever we watch.

Metaverse
Metaverse is a step forward to immerse into the virtual world by interacting with multiple internet-based technologies like virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence etc. Metaverse as the name implies aims to create a virtual universe where everything that's possible in real life can be receprocated. For example, you can buy land in the metaverse and build your house. You can sell your property at higher prices and earn a profit. Similarly, you can interact with your friend sitting thousands of miles away from you. Your 3D Avatar will be created in Metaverse and that would interact with a 3D avatar of your friend and would give you a real feel. Similarly, your boss or you can chair a meeting of your staff in a virtual meeting room but in reality, everybody will be sitting at home on their computers or other technological gadgets through which they would immerse into the virtual meeting. Similarly, you can virtually hug or kiss your family members/friends/spouses sitting anywhere in the world but you would feel the real love.

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Aims of Metaverse and current status.

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Web3 is just like a catalyst to the Metaverse. So it all seems a game of the internet and other technologies. Metaverse is aimed at creating a virtual universe with a real tinge through the use of various technologies. It is aimed at bridging the physical distances of the real world and transforming the seemingly impossible use cases into virtual reality. As mentioned above, Metaverse is aimed at creating a universe behind the real universe which is virtual by name but can reciprocate everything from the real universe.

Currently, we don't have Metaverse with us due to Technological limitations. As technology is growing exponentially, the day won't be far when we will immerse into the virtual world of the metaverse.

State the technologies that can be utilized to achieve Security, Ownership, and others in the Metaverse. In your own words, how are the technologies going to be utilized to achieve security and ownership? (Include any components of the technologies that would be of great advantage to the development of Metaverse).

Security is the prime concern of users in any project. Considering the diverse use-cases of Metaverse security is one of the prime factors that is going to determine the fate of this innovation. As for ownership is concerned, we are in the era of decentralisation and that has to be maintained for it to flourish. Let's look at technological measures that must be in place to ensure above mentioned parameters.

Blockchain technology has a great role to play as for security and ownership are concerned. The information distributed to second or third parties of the immersive virtual universe must be codified like cryptographic hashes so that identity is kept anonymous. Any transactions performed on Metaverse have no better solution than blockchain to be kept secure.

Similarly, users can be given private and public keys to access these interactive protocols whereas users on another side can only verify public keys without access to private keys.

The 3D Avatars must have an element of virtuality present to such an extent that fingerprint and Iris scans of Avatars must not decipher the information of users. Similarly, the face must be recognisable to the extent that one can feel the real-life tinge but must be virtual to the extent that no hoax can come into play.

As for Ownership is concerned, corporates are likely to take over Metaverse and disrupt the sanctity of this innovative technology as has been seen in the case of YOUTUBE and Twitter. Such a monopoly is deleterious for Metaverse. Such speculations are rife because Metaverse is linked to Mark Zuckerberg after he announces the rebranding of Facebook to Meta.

Decentralisation of Metaverse platforms like Decentraland to prevent hegemony over it by corporate houses must be upheld through the incorporation of blockchain technology. There must be clear-cut rules about stakeholders in case Centralisation is inevitable. The exploitation of the Metaverse by centralised forces for personnel gains like advertisements, campaigns etc must be well-regulated to uphold the sanctity of the Metaverse.

Do we have any Gamification developments that look like the Metaverse? Discuss any two protocols and how they work.

Gaming is a great source of entertainment and has been around for a decade now on devices like mobile phones etc. Before mobile phones there used to be separate devices meant solely for playing games and the hardware of those devices ranged from those rectangular boxes to computer monitors etc. The level of adventure associated with gaming is closely related to the technology involved in the development of a particular game. Games on first generation mobile phones operated via buttons are less entertaining while those on smartphones are more entertaining and addictive.

As Metaverse involves more immersion than our traditional gaming software, the level of adventure and addiction is tremendous. We don't have Metaverse with us in full capability but certain gaming developments have taken place in this regard like Roblox, Decentraland, Fortnite, Nvidia Corporation, Epic Games, and Niantic Inc etc. Let's discuss two protocols in the gaming ecosphere and let them be Decentraland and Fortnite.

Decentraland came to a LimeLight since 2020 but has been under development since 2015. It is a virtual world where users can buy and sell virtual plots of land for MANA cryptocurrency. ICOs in the form of land parcels were offered in 2017 and they raised millions of dollars. The factual information to emphasise the working of the platform is that, during ICO, a map of a city named Genesis was released that contained about 1 lakh land parcels which were offered as ICOs and later sold at much better prices. The obsession with Metaverse can be understood by the fact that in late 2021 and early 2022, some of the real-life brands like Samsung, Adidas, Atari and Miller Lite plunged into the Decentraland to buy plots of land. I hope you may have got an insight into the importance of Metaverse-based Decentraland platform. So these fashion brands are not limited to this real world only but they have already secured their position on Decentraland. The irony is that these brands have already held a fashion week on the Decentraland in March 2022. I believe that the auction of lands must also be going on.

Fornite is somewhat similar to a very famous game of the last half a decade that goes by the name of PUBG. I hope you have some direct or indirect real-life experience with PUBG. Just like PUBG, Fortnite is a video game that is available in three game modes that share a common idea and that is perhaps about survival. For the namesake, let's mention the modes of fornite and they are :

• Fortnite Battle Royale
• Fortnite Save the world
• Fortnite Creative

The basic goal of all the versions of the game is to fight with 3D Avatars of players and survive till the end. However, the creative version enables players to create their virtual battleground. The 3D avatars simulate the real humans in battlegrounds which reflects that it is a step forward toward Metaverse .However the game plot and plan of each modes are different.

What are the Pros and Cons of Metaverse? Do you believe in the future of the Metaverse? Discuss.

No technology is immune to limitations as nothing is absolute in this universe. So Metaverse has also pros and cons which shall be discussed below:

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Advantages of Metaverse

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No Physical Distances

As discussed above in multiple examples, it is obvious that geographical barriers cease to exist in Metaverse.

Better Socialization

Through Metaverse people will have upgraded versions of all the current social media platforms. 2D video calling will transform into a 3D virtual system and would create an environment with no physical barriers. It has been anticipated by the rebranding of facebook to Meta. We can say that our social media platform would be transformed into more immersive interactive sites.

Better Bussiness opportunities

We all know that all the social media platforms run advertisements and also provide monetization opportunities for users. Online Bussiness have boomed up in the last decade with the up gradation of the internet. As Metaverse is a step forward in the future of the internet and so all the opportunities would pace up. Some projects have already headed in this direction. For example, Decentraland is an online platform that provides opportunities to buy and sell virtual land. It is one special use case that would help understand the depth of immersion of Metaverse.

Promote Learning and Education

Almost all the fields of education and learning would be revolutionised with the metaverse. For example, engineering and medical science would be benefitted as demonstrations carried out on 3D models would promote better learning. The same holds true for other fields too. Students would get a chance to interact globally with the best educational institutions and facilities etc.

Cryptocurrencies /NFTs Boom

We have seen recently that cryptos that anticipate entering into meta have shown a significant hike in price as cryptos are believed to be the currencies of the Metaverse. The medium of exchange on Metaverse would remain cryptos and so there will be a significant price boom. The same holds for NFTs. I believe taking the example of NFTs, it would be easier to understand the metaverse Bussiness.

New Era of Entertainment

Metaverse will unfold a new era of entertainment like gaming and movies. It would be an altogether new experience in the field of gaming and entertainment. The level of immersion and contact would add a realistic tinge to these fields.

infinite office

The term infinite office was used by Mark Zuckerberg in the context of a new workplace environment that would be created with the unfolding of the Metaverse. I believe productivity would be increased because you get to work from your home within your comfort zone. So the combination of comfort and technology would result in better productivity in the end.

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Cons of Metaverse

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Security Threat

Cybercrimes are evolving in newer forms every day. With the advancement in technology to combat cyber attacks, miscreants that launch cyber attacks also upgrade themselves and come up with new forms of technological tactics to corrupt the existing systems. As Metaverse is a more immersive technology, therefore the likelihood of cyberattacks flare up is inherent. Moreover, being a new technology, we don't have tested measures to curb these attacks. Undoubtedly, technology will eventually grow into a more secure form but I believe it is not immune to attack More immersion means more risk as well.

Emotional disconnect

People would be able to interact in a better way than now but they won't be connected emotionally. We may be able to meet our family, friends and relatives in a more adhesive manner but that would isolate and spoil our relations for not feeling the need to visit physically. We can say that some of our cultural and traditional practices would lose their meaning which is dangerous for society. We may forget that Metaverse is virtual and real people are living outside the metaverse.

Addiction

We have seen that kids spend hours playing games or watching 2D videos. Metaverse being more immersive is therefore more entertaining and has higher addiction potential. We are likely to ignore our basic duties in the real world. Our physical and mental health will be affected.

Privacy

With more immersive Metaverse technology, the issues of privacy breaches by sharing collected information with third parties without prior consent will increase. Issues like iris scans and scams are likely to flare up.

Internet Bullying

Internet is full of miscreants who are on their toes to critothersothersr based on their creed, caste, colour, religion or ideologies etc. With Metaverse such bullying is likely to increase more as we will be immersed and exposed more to the virtual system.

Hardware/Tech issues

Metaverse is an amalgamation of multiple technologies on the internet and is believed to be the future of the internet. We may need sophisticated hardware devices and a strong internet connection to take advantage of Metaverse. Sch tech-savvy facilities are grossly lacking and even if present is expensive So it would be a hurdle for mass adoption of Metaverse that has to addressed.

Centralisation

Metaverse is not only about blockchain. As mentioned earlier, almost every real-world activity would be reciprocated on Metaverse. We have seen in the past that some platforms like YouTube and Facebook have been taken by corporates and the same can happen with Metaverse as well. Centralisation of Metaverse by big corporates would be a deadly step as it would be brutally exploited by them for their selfish interests like campaigns, advertisement and marketing etc.

As for the future of the Metaverse is concerned, I do believe that what it anticipated to achieve is achievable. We have already seen some of the technologies in use like virtual reality, augmented reality and gyroscope etc. Moreover, I believee it has huge potential to succeed because of its diverse use cases and audience that it is going to cater to. Having seen different generations of internet and a great boom in technology in recent two decade the day won't be far when we will enter Metaverse in full capability.

Conclusion

Metaverse is a amalgamation of multiple technologies like AR/VR , gyroscope, artificial intelligence that aim to provide enhanced immersion into virtual world . Metaverse is believed to be future of internet and is envisaged to have diverse and better use-cases. Despite numerous pros , its limtations must be addressed for it to succeed.