One-quarter of the U.S. population will be spending at least an hour a day using the metaverse for work, shopping, education, social and/or entertainment by 2026, according to a metaverse forecast from Gartner, Inc.
The research and advisory firm defines the metaverse as “a collective virtual shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical and digital reality. It is persistent, providing enhanced immersive experiences, as well as device independent and accessible through any type of device, from tablets to head-mounted displays.”
Metaverse Forecast
The virtual economy of the metaverse will be underpinned by digital currencies and nonfungible tokens (NFTs), according to Gartner. The metaverse will impact every business that consumers interact with every day, providing better engagement, collaboration and connection to their employees via immersive workspaces in virtual offices, Gartner added. Businesses will save money with the metaverse because they no longer will need to their own infrastructure, which the metaverse will provide.
Gartner predicts that metaverse technologies will be fragmented, with no dominant player, so organizations shouldn’t commit themselves to a single metaverse.
“Vendors are already building ways for users to replicate their lives in digital worlds,” said Marty Resnick, Gartner research vice president, in a prepared statement. “From attending virtual classrooms to buying digital land and constructing virtual homes, these activities are currently being conducted in separate environments. Eventually, they will take place in a single environment – the metaverse – with multiple destinations across technologies and experiences.”