According to a new study by thinktank Pew Research Center, only 56% of technology experts and business leaders believe the metaverse will be a “well-functioning aspect of daily life” within 20 years.
Pew Research asked 624 tech experts to forecast how they expect the metaverse to evolve and what role it could play in people’s personal and professional lives in 2040.
Despite the recent buzz about the concept, which is generally defined as a highly immersive virtual world where users interact and socialise, many are sceptical about its usefulness and relevance.
46% of respondents said they don’t expect the metaverse to be fully immersive, more refined and a key part of day-to-day life for at least 500 million people by 2040.
Those with reservations claim the software, hardware and network capabilities required to support an immersive metaverse won’t be ready for the mass market by that time.
Others believe that certain aspects of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) will be unappealing due to fears about privacy and security.
However, the majority expecting the metaverse to be transformative believe it will be broadly adopted, despite some of the potential downsides.
They also expect AR and mixed-reality applications will be more popular than VR, as they will supplement real-world experiences, while the latter will be reserved for niche environments in gaming and entertainment.
For the metaverse to take off and truly thrive, USA Today reporter Edward Baig says it must have a profound impact on daily lives.
He concludes that the technology needs to provide “experiences and benefits that are otherwise impractical if not impossible to achieve in (for lack of a better way of putting it) the real world.”
