As brands rush to stake their claim in the internet’s new frontier, many questions remain about what the metaverse is and isn’t. The most relevant question for business leaders, however, is why the metaverse is happening at all.
Why the metaverse?
As brands rush to stake their claim in the internet’s new frontier, many questions remain about what the metaverse is and isn’t. The most relevant question for business leaders, however, is why the metaverse is happening at all.
BY FASTCO WORKS
For quite some time, the metaverse has heralded computing’s fully immersive future, bringing our most valued experiences from real life into virtual spaces and bringing our most valued experiences from virtual into physical spaces. Long out of reach, the metaverse is at last under construction, as hardware, software, and assets converge to deliver immersive experiences that span art, education, entertainment, gaming, and beyond. As brands explore opportunities to expand with the metaverse, creators and businesses of every scale are eager to understand the kinds of content, messaging, storytelling, engagement, and commerce that will resonate with consumers in these new contexts. To advance this understanding, Meta and FastCo Works assembled four experts with decades of experience in building these worlds, augmenting human senses, and exploring the increasingly blurry lines between our time spent on and off the web. As we digest their unique insights on the current and future stakes of the metaverse, we’ll further anchor these insights in stories, examples and frameworks for business leaders to become pioneers in pursuit of this new frontier.
HOW WE GOT HERE
ON THE CURRENT STATE OF THE METAVERSE
Sam Hamilton, head of community and events, the Decentraland Foundation:
In some ways, we are already living [in the metaverse]. We’re always on our smartphone, but it’s not a very human experience. I see a parallel digital universe that’s built on top of our physical universe, and that’s inside the metaverse, and in AR, and all combined together to make life…as far into science fiction as we’ve ever gone.
ON TAPPING CURRENT TECHNOLOGY TO CREATE NEW EXPERIENCES
Helen Papagiannis, founder of XR Goes Pop and author of Augmented Human: How Technology Is Shaping the New Reality:
The technology will always continue to improve, but it’s really about designing great experiences today with the existing technology and evolving those experiences in the future. This has consistently been my approach to AR since I first began building prototypes in 2005. It’s never really been about the technology; it’s always about the experiences.
WE ALREADY HAVE THE INTERNET — DO WE REALLY NEED THE METAVERSE?
Nada Stirratt, VP, Americas, Meta:
The metaverse is not a replacement for the internet but rather the next iteration of it, which will make the time we are already spending online more realistic, more personal, and more immersive. While we won’t occupy the metaverse every moment of every day, it is what we see as the next computing platform: a future that extends beyond just what fits in the palm of your hand or view on the screen, where we can interact freely in three dimensions.
“IT’S SMART FOR EVERYONE—BRANDS AND CONSUMERS ALIKE—TO BECOME PROFICIENT IN THESE NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN ORDER TO OPERATE IN THIS FUTURE 3D SPACE.”
NADA STIRRATT, VP, AMERICAS, META
WHAT EXACTLY WILL AN IMMERSIVE LIFE LOOK LIKE?
Nada Stirratt:
Wendy’s Wendyverse, the first restaurant branded experience in Horizon Worlds, is a great example of what immersive life looks like right now, and it gives a glimpse into how these experiences will evolve. Originally launched as part of their 2022 NCAA March Madness campaign, the Wendyverse lets users meet up with friends, shoot hoops, play other interactive games, or find hidden Easter eggs…it has since expanded to become the hub for a whole new set of experiences such as Frosty Village, Sunrise City, and Spicy Nugg Island to keep the momentum going.
Sam Hamilton:
We’ve got something planned for next year, [like]the ARGs of the early aughts that sent people on real-world quests to win prizes. Only we’re going to do it in the metaverse, in the physical world, in AR, and in Web 2.0. There’s tremendous potential for crossover between what’s happening in the metaverse, the physical world and the bridge in between.
Setting up shop
HOW DO YOU BRING YOUR BRAND INTO THE METAVERSE TODAY?
Sam Hamilton:
At the moment, we’ve got brands activating literally every week. Last week, we activated Netflix in Decentraland. Snapple and Jose Cuervo also did really good experiences. A lot of these things are quest based…the current trend is to take people on a narrative journey. Tell them a story that somehow enlightens them to something about your brand, and then give them something for completing the quest.
Nada Stirratt:
While AR / VR and NFTs rightfully get a lot of buzz as the building blocks of the metaverse, they are also important technologies in furthering customer relationships. It’s smart for everyone—brands and consumers alike—to become proficient in these new technologies in order to operate in this future 3D space. That’s why we’re offering support for NFTs on Instagram and Facebook and are working to make it easier for brands to co-create experiences in AR and VR with technical creators.
BUILDING AT THE EDGE OF INNOVATION
ON THE TENSIONS DRIVING THE METAVERSE FORWARD
Sam Hamilton:
For me, Decentraland is a philosophical project more than anything else. It’s a reaction to an internet—which I feel that many people, including some CEOs, agree—is broken at the moment. It’s gone down a path that we didn’t dream of 20 years ago. And it’s in a place where, for a small amount of time, we have a window of change. Decentraland is owned by its users; it’s really important that they get to direct the way it goes.
ON THE FUTURE OF CREATIVE STORYTELLING
Helen Papagiannis:
Augmented Reality is a new communication medium that evolves the way stories are told and shared. It’s about amplifying creativity and the human imagination. When creating with AR, my intention is always to elevate wonder and curiosity. It’s a medium that enables me to make what is invisible now visible.
ON THE FADING BOUNDARIES BETWEEN REAL AND VIRTUAL
Jim Witte, professor of sociology and anthropology, George Mason University:
The metaverse could bring harmony and synergy between online and physical worlds. I like to use the metaphor of recorded music. The digital files might be compressed and a bit “loss-y,” but they’re also reliable and consistent. Analog records have pops and clicks, but also have a real depth to their bandwidth that’s alive and quirky. Both have their respective advantages, and both, in the end, reflect human behavior.
“DONE WELL, THE METAVERSE COULD BE A POSITIVE FORCE FOR EQUITY, BRIDGING SOME OF THE DIVIDES THAT EXIST IN TODAY’S PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL SPACES. “
—NADA STIRRATT
CAN THE METAVERSE BE MORE EQUITABLE THAN THE PHYSICAL WORLD?
Jim Witte:
Maybe. We know where power and economic exploitation is—it’s not going to go away. You can’t wish it away. But you can think about ways within that framework to say, “What can we do to use this for good? To think about educational opportunities for people who may not have chances to see the world?”
Nada Stirratt:
Done well, the metaverse could be a positive force for inclusion and equity, bridging some of the divides that exist in today’s physical and digital spaces. It is critical that the metaverse is designed inclusively from its very inception. This will require representation and leadership from experts across academia, policy, and many other fields to develop technologies to inform future best practices and governance principles. The result will rest on equity: inclusion and accessibility, privacy and safety, economic opportunity and interoperability.
Setting up shop
ADVANCING BRAND INNOVATION IN THE METAVERSE
Helen Papagiannis:
Louis Vuitton commissioned me to reimagine the iconic trunk in Augmented Reality in celebration of the brand’s bicentennial. My trunk is a window into the creative process, a vessel for imagination and innovation. It’s a future garden blooming with possibilities and also a nod to the past.
Nada Stirratt:
As in real life, people in the metaverse will want to be entertained, informed, and connected with the brands they value and trust. A great example of what this value exchange looks like in the metaverse is BMW Group’s MINIverse, a virtual racetrack in Horizon Worlds. Here, people can dress their avatars in fun new racing suits, race their friends, and have a little bit of fun—all in keeping with the freshness and irreverence of the MINI brand.
THE INTERNET OF TOMORROW
ON THE EMERGENCE OF STANDARDS
Sam Hamilton:
It’s super complicated, because in this moment of innovation, lots of people have different ideas, and different ways to go. At some point there will be convergence, everything will come together, and people will start using standards. In the NFT art scene, you can show art in any of the big platforms that support NFTs, so that already happened, and it happened really seamlessly.
ON THE EXPANSION OF SENSES
Helen Papagiannis:
For the most part, Augmented Reality has been primarily a visual-based medium, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s possible to experience virtual worlds with our whole human sensorium including hearing, touch, smell, and even taste. When we move away from copying reality, AR will be liberated from the burden of simulating the real, with the creative doors—and senses—wide open to new modes of expression and invention.
ON LIVING BETWEEN WORLDS
Jim Witte:
It’s about thinking open-endedly about where the boundaries of the metaverse are going to lie… And it’s going to control much more than our living rooms. A lot of spaces we’re going to be in are going to have aspects of the metaverse. The job is to figure out which of the good aspects we keep from each environment, from the tangible physical experience and the metaverse experience.
ON DEEPENING CONNECTION
Nada Stirratt:
As the internet gained mainstream adoption, it became an additive force in our everyday lives, offering new ways to connect with our communities and enhance our experiences IRL. The same will hold true for the metaverse. As it unfolds, it will tap innovation to create ways for these connections and experiences to flourish in deeper, even more immersive, ways, allowing individuals to elevate their time spent online and off.
“TELL THEM A STORY THAT ENLIGHTENS THEM TO SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR BRAND, AND THEN GIVE THEM SOMETHING FOR COMPLETING THE QUEST.”
SAM HAMILTON, HEAD OF COMMUNITY AND EVENTS, THE DECENTRALAND FOUNDATION
Building a case for building the metaverse
Sam Hamilton:
Decentraland is built like a city. You can walk down the road. You can go to a music venue, and when the gig is finished, say, “Hey, who wants to come to the casino?” For me, its a world that exists, that you can traverse. You can go from one place to the next while enjoying serendipitous moments, where you meet a stranger on the street and they become a friend forever. This is what, for me, makes the magic.
Helen Papagiannis:
For me, over the past 17 years, its always been about storytelling. Virtual and augmented realities are currently led by visual experiences, but this doesn’t have to be the limit. How can we explore these new environments with all of our senses, and then explore the applications of this multisensory space to expand the scope of our communication and storytelling?
Jim Witte:
The thing that’s really changed, compared to my earliest work in Second Life, is the technology. AI is becoming more sophisticated; environments are becoming more realistic; wearables are becoming less intrusive. In Second Life it was your keyboard that allowed you to move around. Now it’s your own body. What you do with that can take many forms.
Nada Stirratt:
Businesses must experiment like never before across people, products, and messaging to facilitate new relationships, create new experiences, and deepen consumer connection both in the here and now, and in the metaverse of tomorrow.
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This article first appeared www.fastcompany.com
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