Whether you know the term from science fiction, in reference to new technologies, related to Facebook’s name change, or from somewhere else, it’s likely you’ve at least heard of the metaverse. But what is it? The metaverse is a new internet-based technology that will allow people to interact online in a seamless 3D platform. McKinsey & Company recently defined the metaverse as having “three features: a sense of immersion, real-time interactivity, and user agency.” These three attributes relate to
each other in multiple ways, and each of them might be defined, first, by what they are not:

• Immersion as opposed to a two-dimensional view: The metaverse will offer a virtual reality experience, where you feel you are truly in the online world.
• Real-time interactivity as opposed to delayed communication. Email and texting offer interaction, but it’s not in real time the way a phone call or an in-person conversation is.
• User agency as opposed to a passive experience. Something you watch—like a TV show or movie—may be immersive, but you can’t change it. You have no agency.