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Shifting into the Metaverse

Nicholas Stoeckle

10 years ago, Instagram had roughly 27 million users. Today, they have roughly 2 BILLION users. This simple photo sharing app is one example of how a new technology has transformed consumer behaviors and mindsets throughout the past decade. These outliers allow consumers to see the opportunities available and the agile nature of their business models allow them to migrate consumers to a new wave of thinking.

Simply put, adoption might not be an overnight success, but technological advances do help shift consumers’ mindsets and behaviors. The metaverse is no different from what Instagram was a decade ago. 

While I still believe we are 7-10 years away from wearing headsets and being fully immersed, the metaverse opens up an entirely new dimension not all consumers or brands can comprehend yet. Just like any other new technology, there are early adopters eager to explore and those looking to research and experiment in the space.  That said, similar to cryptocurrency and the structure of blockchain technology, consumers and brands are trying to find the right use cases.  

I firmly believe in the technological shift the Metaverse and blockchain technology offer for both brands and consumers. While we are still early to the shift, it’s in brands best interest to begin understanding the how/when/where/what/why of these technological advances. The Metaverse offers consumers a new persona and dimension they can develop online that can vastly differ from their real-life persona. This alternate reality allows brands to engage with those who normally would not be within their target audience in real life, but would be in the virtual world. 

Everything is still pretty foreign for most consumers and brands. It is always advantageous to get ahead of technology to test and learn, however it’s crucial to ensure it makes sense based on your strategic business priorities. Not every brand or consumer needs to be rushing to the hype to check the box that they’re “part of the metaverse.” Research, experiment and learn from the pioneers and identify where it makes sense. While the Metaverse is not essential for every consumer or brand at this very moment, technological advances have proven we should expect a shift based on user adoption over the next decade to make this a main staple in our everyday life.

 

To read more about the metaverse, read our entire Worklife feature here: https://worklife.news/technology/what-the-metaverse-means-for-the-future-of-work/

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