Consider the following question:
“What is the metaverse?”
In recent years, there was a lot of discussion how to approach an answer to the nature of the metaverse concept. Some groups attach the term to specific technologies, for example Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, Digital Twins or Blockchains. Others talk about specific requirements, for example persistence, interoperability, or massively multi-user or modalities like headsets. Others see it as a future vision or narrative, sometimes dystopian, sometimes utopian.
This recent trend to “Declare the Metaverse” is not surprising as it never was a clear concept in the first place. There never was an official governing body that could authoritatively state what can and cannot be the metaverse.
The reason why the term “Metaverse” is nevertheless interesting is that it not just describes a concept, it also carries a certain Gestalt – it evokes a certain style and form, rolled into a future vision of life in virtuality. Gradually, this understanding of the metaverse has evolved since the 1970s, as new expectations, assumptions, and visions for future life online emerged.
Looking beyond the recent hype around the metaverse and the ensuing narrative conflict, I started to wonder: How good is this history documented? Did we, the metaverse expert community, still remember those discussions around technical and social concepts? The ideologies behind them, and the resulting interpretations and visions for a metaverse? And where they originally came from?
As a result, I started writing a series of articles in early 2022, called “Fieldnotes from the Metaverse.” And while that was very well received, I eventually realized that I wanted to do more. The upcoming book of the same name is my attempt to retell the history of the metaverse from my point of view. Instead of pushing a specific vision or narrative, I want to uncover where each of them came from, and how they evolved into what we see today.
My hope is that the book will inspire others to compare and publish their own personal fieldnotes, overall leading to more nuanced discussions beyond the performativity we see today. And maybe, eventually, we can approach better answers to the initial question: What is the metaverse? And for whom is it anyway?