Leading, learning in the metaverse

NOW that a certain social network has announced a mega name change, the metaverse is upon all minds and lips. What is it? Who stands to benefit? Who doesn't? Who has to adapt and who will it affect?

The answer is: everyone. Corporations, educational institutions, governments and everyone in between who aren't off-the-grid skinning rabbits in a bucolic cabin in the woods. The metaverse - a virtual-reality space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users - is the next phase of the Internet.

For instance, you might enter the metaverse to buy an outfit for your digital avatar for a job interview that's also held in the metaverse. After which, you could meet up in a cafe - still within the metaverse - with friends based in different continents, to give them an update on your interview. Then you might go mountaineering, or attend a concert, before you leave the metaverse for the day to get some sleep.