Metaverse

The tech industry loves a buzzword. And right now, everyone is talking about the metaverse. Broadly speaking, the metaverse can be defined as a virtual world where we can live, work, travel and play. But it doesn't actually exist yet, and just like Gaudi' s cathedral, the Sagrada Familia, it may take a while to complete. But that hasn't stopped businesses of all shapes and sizes from trying to get involved. J.P. Morgan, HSBC, Gucci and Coca-Cola are among a few of the firms that have dabbled with the metaverse so far. And of course, there's Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook. While the metaverse is mostly science fiction at this stage, there are some early versions of it out there that show us what might be possible. Here at Barcelona's Mobile World Congress, many of them are on display. Many in the tech industry claim that the metaverse is the next phase of the internet. Companies like Meta are hailing it as this sort of utopia that will make the time we spend online more interactive and fun. They also say it will present businesses with new ways to make money. A lot of money.