▲ Metaverse

Recently, much of our lives were changed to non-face-to-face contact because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this non-face-to-face era, online consumption and digital environments are being extended more and more through various platforms, such as SNS, Netflix, YouTube, and Instagram, etc. Metaverse services are being activated through SNS and other platforms with Generation Z, who is growing in the non-face-to-face online era. What is the emerging metaverse in a dark pandemic situation?

Metaverse is a combination of the words, “meta,” and, “universe.” “Meta,” means imagination and transcendence. “Universe,” means the real world. A Dictionary definition of metaverse states: “world that transcends reality,” and, “a 3rd dimension virtual world.” Also, the word refers to 3rd dimension cyberspace, which includes AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality). In 1992, for the first time, the word, 'Metaverse,' appeared in, 'SnowCrash,' a novel written by Neal Town Stephenson, a science fictionist in the U.S. That metaverse has had many influences on Generation Z, who were born between the mid 1990s and the early 2000s. Generation Z not only is flexible in change, but is also close to the technological world, and is proficient with online usage. Therefore, they have a multi-persona that represents their various identities in digital spaces, because they can suggest their identities or opinions in this online media without hesitation, admit to diversity fastly, and pursue an independent life equally. This is why they enjoy the metaverse in many ways, such as making an avatar, 'I', in virtual space and communicating with other user's avatar's too.

The most famous representative metaverse platforms in Korea are, 'ZEPETO,' 'Pokémon GO,' and, 'Gather Town'. ZEPETO has a variety of skills that make an avatar like you, play the game, and conduct SNS, etc. Pokémon GO, reflects an augmented reality (AR) game. GatherTown is a non-fact-to-face virtual office platform. Metaverse is being used in not only apps but also the Entertainment Industry. Typically, there is Aespa from SM. Aespa is an eight-member idol girl group that is built around 4 real people and 4 avatars, 'AE:' their other self-conceptual characters. They are having a colossal impression on people. This is because they are actively using the metaverse in various contents, such as music videos and album concepts. Additionally, some corporations are using the metaverse for marketing. For example, there is Sam, Samsung's virtual secretary, Rozy who is a virtual influencer from ShinhanLife, and Reah Keem of LG Electronics.

In this way, societies are utilizing the metaverse in various industries. The Korean government found out about the metaverse's unlimited growth potential and importance. Thus, they are focusing their attention on the metaverse platform with the core task of the, 'Korean version of the New Deal 2.0' Project. With the development of the digital world expanding more and more, the metaverse is expected to be an important key in the quaternary industry. We can look forward to how the new metaverse will continue to evolve in the future, as it still has tremendous dominance in the untact online era in the present.

By Park Seong-eun, cub-reporter

By Park Seong-eun,cub-reporter  pseun1017@naver.com

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