Mixing the real and the virtual worlds

Facebook is creating a new “universe”

Mark Zuckerberg.

From the source

Facebook announced that it has formed a team that is working on creating the so-called “metaverse” or “paranormal universe”, in which the real and virtual worlds blend to the point of merging, a vision stemming from science fiction based in the field of video games.

The founder of "Facebook" Mark Zuckerberg, considered that "Metaverse" represents the future of this social network.

"I hope in five years people will look at us (...) as (Metaverse) above all," he said in an interview with The Verge last week.

This task will be undertaken by the virtual reality and augmented reality department "Facebook Reality Labs", which is run by Andrew Bosworth, which is the unit currently responsible for the "Oculus" helmets used mainly for recreational purposes...so far.

Facebook has hired people working on the Instagram app, in the Facebook Gaming department, and in Oculus.

"To achieve our vision for metaverse, we need to build the fabric that connects (different) digital spaces in order to bypass physical constraints and make it easy to move between rooms in the house," Zuckerberg wrote on his personal account on Facebook.

He added, "The main advantage of metaverse will be the presence, the feeling of actually being with people, and (Facebook Reality Labs) has been working for years to create products that provide a presence in different digital spaces."

“Metaverse” is a concept developed by Neil Stephenson in the science fiction novel “The Borrowed Samurai” in 1992. It is an electronic space parallel to physical reality, in which users can meet for the purpose of interaction, discussion or even entertainment, and they take the form of symbolic images that represent them, or what is known By "Avatar".

Some video games have created "paranormal universes" of limited size for their players, including the "Roblox" platform, which includes a large number of games created by young people and teenagers, and the game "Fortnite", which has 350 million users.

For example, at the end of last April, a series of five virtual concerts were held, during which the American rapper Travis Scott appeared on “Fortnite” in the form of an avatar, and was followed by more than 12 million users.

Zuckerberg explained that screens, holograms, virtual reality helmets and augmented reality glasses are supposed to gradually allow "movements" from virtual universes to physical places, akin to "teleportation".

In his interview with "The Verge", Zuckerberg considered the "Metaverse" as the "successor" of the use of the Internet by mobile devices.

• Mark Zuckerberg: “Metaverse” is the future of this social network.

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