WATCH — What is the metaverse?
The future vision of the internet looks a lot like sci-fi
Every Monday, CBC Kids News takes a deep dive into a topic that everyone’s talking about. Click the video above or below for this week’s KN Explains.
Maybe you’ve heard the term metaverse, but do you know what it means?
Recently it’s been in the news because the company formerly known as Facebook rebranded and is now called Meta.
But Facebook didn’t come up with the concept.
The term actually dates back to 1992 and a science fiction novel called Snow Crash by author Neal Stephenson.
Since then, the word “metaverse” has gone from sci-fi to real life, as individual developers and big companies like Meta and Microsoft begin to build and brand their products as “metaverse products.”
Are you familiar with Minecraft, Roblox, Discord and Fortnite?
Then you may have already seen a sneak peek into what the future metaverse could be like.
The metaverse is still being created and understood and not everyone agrees on how it should come about, who should create it and what it all means for our digital futures.
There’s a lot to unbox here. But don’t worry, we’ve got you. KN Explains:
Check out more KN Explains videos
- Why do we wear poppies on Remembrance Day?
- What a conference called COP26 means for the climate
- Why there are no microchips in the COVID-19 vaccine
Have a topic you want explained? Email it to cbckidsnews@cbc.ca
TOP IMAGE CREDIT: Graphic design by Philip Street/CBC
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