The Metaverse: And How it Will Revolutionize Everything
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- Create Date：2022-08-07 03:19:44
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Matthew L. Ball
- ISBN：B0B8GJL2KW
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Summary
The term “metaverse” is suddenly everywhere， from debates over Fortnite to the pages of the New York Times to the speeches of Mark Zuckerberg， who proclaimed in June 2021 that “the overarching goal” of Facebook is to “bring the metaverse to life。”
But what， exactly， is the metaverse？ As pioneering theorist and venture capitalist Matthew Ball explains， it is the successor to the mobile internet that has defined the last two decades。 The metaverse is a persistent， 3D， virtual world—a network of interconnected experiences and devices， tools and infrastructure， far beyond mere virtual reality。 And it is poised to revolutionize every industry and function， from finance and healthcare to payments， consumer products， and even sex work。 The internet will no longer be at arm’s length; instead， it will surround us， with our lives， labor， and leisure taking place inside the metaverse。 With sweeping authority， The Metaverse predicts trillions in new value—and the radical reshaping of society。
But what， exactly， is the metaverse？ As pioneering theorist and venture capitalist Matthew Ball explains， it is the successor to the mobile internet that has defined the last two decades。 The metaverse is a persistent， 3D， virtual world—a network of interconnected experiences and devices， tools and infrastructure， far beyond mere virtual reality。 And it is poised to revolutionize every industry and function， from finance and healthcare to payments， consumer products， and even sex work。 The internet will no longer be at arm’s length; instead， it will surround us， with our lives， labor， and leisure taking place inside the metaverse。 With sweeping authority， The Metaverse predicts trillions in new value—and the radical reshaping of society。
Reviews
Todd
，
I think I'm ready for what may possibly come from web 4。0 / the metaverse / VR / AI / etc。 Ball's explanations are clear and thoughtfully organized even if the writing is less than captivating at times。 I think I'm ready for what may possibly come from web 4。0 / the metaverse / VR / AI / etc。 Ball's explanations are clear and thoughtfully organized even if the writing is less than captivating at times。 。。。more
Richard Thompson
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Nope。 It's Metaverse 101 for the uninitiated。 Nothing much new here for anyone who has spent any time in this area in business or even thinking about the obstacles and possibilities。 I would have liked more in depth on the technology and on specific ideas for solving some of the problems。 I would have liked a more informed philosophical perspective on what it would mean to have a functioning metaverse that is always available。 I would have liked some well-considered speculation about the social Nope。 It's Metaverse 101 for the uninitiated。 Nothing much new here for anyone who has spent any time in this area in business or even thinking about the obstacles and possibilities。 I would have liked more in depth on the technology and on specific ideas for solving some of the problems。 I would have liked a more informed philosophical perspective on what it would mean to have a functioning metaverse that is always available。 I would have liked some well-considered speculation about the social aspects of the metaverse and how it could be structured to avoid the horrible dumbing down， destruction of attention span， promotion of extreme views and polarization that we have experienced with the explosion of social media。 But none of that。 All we get is a lot of talk about laying down the infrastructure for the metaverse with some minor thought about making it open and then letting it self-organize。 I agree that it is presently impossible to predict where the metaverse will go and what will succeed and fail， but I fear that this kind of thinking will only lead us down a path where the mistakes of the past will be repeated。 As Karl Marx taught us in the 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte， history is doomed to repeat itself - the first time as tragedy， the second time as farce。 God help us if that is true of the metaverse。 。。。more
Brian Clegg
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Reluctantly， I have to admit this is an interesting and worthwhile book。 My starting position was a sceptic of the claims for the metaverse， but I tried to approach it with an open mind。 I'm still sceptical about many aspects， but Matthew Ball convincingly puts across a bigger picture that encompasses far more that the demos we've seen so far。My initial scepticism was based on experience with Second Life， the 3D virtual environment started in 2003。 In its early days， lots of people over-hyped th Reluctantly， I have to admit this is an interesting and worthwhile book。 My starting position was a sceptic of the claims for the metaverse， but I tried to approach it with an open mind。 I'm still sceptical about many aspects， but Matthew Ball convincingly puts across a bigger picture that encompasses far more that the demos we've seen so far。My initial scepticism was based on experience with Second Life， the 3D virtual environment started in 2003。 In its early days， lots of people over-hyped this - big companies set up a presence in it， we were told we would be attending lectures， concerts and meetings this way。。。 but it simply couldn't deliver。 My mental picture of the metaverse was primarily an enhanced Second Life， and I think a lot of people see it that way （including some of the big online companies） - but Ball's vision is of something distictly different。He gives us a picture of a metaverse that， like the internet is universal， not the property of a single company。 Everything within it shares standards （again， like the internet） so， for example， an avatar from one company's part of the metaverse can be transferred to another， just as we can move a JPEG picture from， say， Facebook to a Microsoft app。 He also envisages having good， real-time rendered 3D worlds that are synchronous （i。e。 everyone sees the same things happening at the same time without buffering）， persistent （so things are still there when you leave and come back） and have what he calls 'continuity of data' - so things like payments， identity and more are shared throughout。What he's describing is something more like a three-dimensional visual internet。 I say visual， but just as quite a lot of the current internet is not visual， even though we tend to think of elements like web pages and streaming video， similarly Ball's metaverse would have plenty of non-visual components - it's just the 3D visual environment is a key aspect of what makes it next generation。 One of my biggest bugbears with virtual reality （VR） is the need for clumsy headsets - I'm not convinced they will ever become mainstream outside of gaming。 Apart from anything else， when I sit at my desk with a couple of conventional screens in front of me， or use my phone， I'm also interfacing with the real world - I can see the birds outside the window， the delivery van arriving and pick up my coffee without spilling it down my shirt because I can't see it。 Ball thinks a lot will use VR goggles， but points out the metaverse will also work with ordinary screens - and that many may prefer these or augmented reality glasses as and when the tech is up to it。That 'as and when' is a big proviso that Ball makes。 He points out the huge advances required over the current internet。 This is partly because the internet is not a real-time system。 It uses a packet switched protocol， breaking data up into chunks that are routed separately before reassembling them at their destination。 Streaming companies can use this to deliver video because they can buffer information and， in the end， it doesn't matter if you lose continuity for a second or two。 But if one member of metaverse situation drops in and out， or falls behind a couple of seconds， the whole thing is ruined。 There are also the problems that many still don't have access to fibre optic internet connections， especially outside of the US （this is a very US-oriented book）， which are necessary for fast enough data transfer - and even our best servers simply can't store and deliver the sheer quantity of data required at fast enough speeds to make the metaverse feel synchronous and persistent。 It would require a huge amount of effort and money - and there is little evidence that the current big internet companies play well enough together to even consider making it happen。I like the way Ball gives us insights into a lot of the technical issues and the technical solutions （mostly） games manufacturers use to get around those issues （sadly， in ways that probably won’t work for the metaverse）。 But there is far too much focus in the book on games， other than as the engines that will provide some of the key enabling metaverse technology。 Just as the internet is not mostly used for games - and most adults only play non-immersive games like Candy Crush - so the majority of the big picture metaverse would not be about gaming。 Ball tells us about millions of new gamers joining the fold， but seems to forget that a lot of us who were gamers grow out of it。This is not the only fault here。 Ball has a tendency to lay out detail ploddingly - he's not a great writer。 And his physics can be dodgy。 He tells us light's speed is constant， as opposed to constant in a particular medium， and he thinks light changes direction in optical fibres by refraction rather than reflection。 The whole metaverse thing still comes across as over-hyped。 In his introduction， emphasising our moves forward in tech， Ball writes 'Throughout [the summer of 2021]， competing efforts from billionaires Richard Branson， Elon Musk， and Jeff Bezos were under way to bring civilian travel to lower orbit and usher in an era of space elevators and interplanetary colonisation' - unless intended ironically， given the trivial nature of that civilian travel， the mention of space elevators rings alarm bells for promising far more than can actually physically be delivered。The other big problem is that although Ball recognises some of the drawbacks and limitations of the metaverse， he doesn't really address these， but rather dismisses them pretty much out of hand。 For instance， having mentioned the benefits of video calls during the pandemic， he claims without any evidence that a virtual meeting in the metaverse is more effective。 But for me， the huge benefit of a video meeting over a phone call is seeing people's faces and body language。 A set of metaverse avatars around a virtual meeting table gives no more real visual feedback than the phone call。 Admittedly Ball suggests that in the future they might fully reflect your actual facial expressions， but is that likely in any reasonable timescale？ And if it is， it would surely also be possible for the avatar to be AI controlled to fake facial expressions - you have no idea if what you see is real。 Ball lets his enthusiasm overcome sensible logic sometimes。By the end of the book， I could see how different Ball's vision of the metaverse as a revolutionary next-generation internet was from silly little virtual reality meetings or kids' games like Minecraft。 But I also understand the vast issues that need to be overcome， which Ball outlines so well。 What was missing for me was a cost/benefit analysis showing me what would be gained from making the dramatic investment and effort necessary for Ball's real metaverse to come true。 I suspect we're more like to see more silo-based mini-metagalaxies that entirely miss the point。Even so， the book was an eye-opener， as Ball's picture was so different from the demos we've seen and existing environments， and it is decidedly impressive technically。 As such， it's well worth a read。 。。。more
John Calia
，
This book is a masterful work that encompasses all aspects of a developing technology and the industry that will proliferate it。 Matthew Ball explores the evolution of the technology， the technical challenges to its future development， the economics of the industry， the self-serving practices of its major players， the absence of appropriate governing bodies， and finally his proposed solutions that would move us forward。 At every level， he displays a command of his topic and presents data to back This book is a masterful work that encompasses all aspects of a developing technology and the industry that will proliferate it。 Matthew Ball explores the evolution of the technology， the technical challenges to its future development， the economics of the industry， the self-serving practices of its major players， the absence of appropriate governing bodies， and finally his proposed solutions that would move us forward。 At every level， he displays a command of his topic and presents data to back up his claims。 The book is well-written and can be understood by a non-technical reader。 My quibble with his thesis relates to his position on the anti-trust cases against Apple and Google。 His focus seems to be on shifting industry income to the developer community at the expense of those who have invested billions of dollars to provide a platform for its distribution。 The plaintiff， in this case Epic， the publisher of Fortnight， built its business on a set of known financial levers and technical requirements provided by Apple and Google， and now seeks to break its deal with them with the help of the federal court。 I know it's just my personal opinion， but a deal is a deal。 。。。more
Jonas Håkansson
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Provides an okay description of current interpretations of the metaverse。 A large chunk of the book is spent stating the current technological challenges， as well as the current idea of what tech may be a part of the metaverse in the future。 The book only slightly touches on the philosophical or societal aspects and provides no new analysis of the metaverse。 The “how it will revolutionize everything” part of the book is just a recount of the most obvious ideas of what the metaverse may entail。Bu Provides an okay description of current interpretations of the metaverse。 A large chunk of the book is spent stating the current technological challenges， as well as the current idea of what tech may be a part of the metaverse in the future。 The book only slightly touches on the philosophical or societal aspects and provides no new analysis of the metaverse。 The “how it will revolutionize everything” part of the book is just a recount of the most obvious ideas of what the metaverse may entail。But to be fair it’s impossible to know what the metaverse will be， and the book clears up some of the confusion surrounding the term metaverse and what it is and may become。 。。。more
Steve Brock
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As Stevo’s Novel Ideas， I am a long-time book reviewer， member of the media， an Influencer， and a content provider。 I received this book as a free review copy from either the publisher， a publicist， or the author， and have not been otherwide compensated for reviewing or recommending it。 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases。This book was Stevo's Business Book of the Week for the week of 7/31， as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet and Stevo's Novel Ideas。 From the As Stevo’s Novel Ideas， I am a long-time book reviewer， member of the media， an Influencer， and a content provider。 I received this book as a free review copy from either the publisher， a publicist， or the author， and have not been otherwide compensated for reviewing or recommending it。 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases。This book was Stevo's Business Book of the Week for the week of 7/31， as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet and Stevo's Novel Ideas。 From the leading theorist of the Metaverse comes the definitive account of the next internet: what the Metaverse is， what it will take to build it， and what it means for all of us。What is the Metaverse？ To many， it's something owned by Mark Zuckerberg， CEO of Facebook， who late last year formed the umbrella company Meta Platforms， Inc。 （shortened to Meta）， of which Facebook is now a part。 To add to the confusion， the mission of Meta is to "reflect its focus on building the metaverse，" which， in their definition， refers to the integrated environment that links all of the company's products and services。To help straighten us out， Matthew Ball brings us "The Metaverse，" in which the author defines the word， lists its components， predicts its future， and breaks down what needs to happen in order for that future to take place。 As Ball notes in his introduction， much of the foundation of the Metaverse is already here， in the form of Virtual Reality games such as Second Life and Minecraft， and software such as Fortnite， where you can attend a concert and socialize in alternate worlds， that are perpetual or that are created when you enter them。 After introducing us to these worlds， Ball describes their technologies （such as Integrated Virtual World Platforms） and the challenges that must be overcome before we can move ahead， notably latency， interoperability， and monetization。 The book concludes with an assessment of what a fully-functioning Metaverse might look like and which companies are best positioned to make it happen。 Ball says Meta will lag， while two of the best bets are a mouse and a piece of fruit。Though the recent economic downturn has delayed many planned investments in the Metaverse， Ball's book is an exciting trip through a future where we can socialize， attend an event， or run a store in a realistic， computer-generated environment。 No headset needed， for now。Find more Business Books of the Week on my Goodreads Listopia page at https://www。goodreads。com/list/show/9。。。， and find many more reviewed and recommended books and products by searching for me on Google。 。。。more
Loren Picard
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My review is posted at this link。https://medium。com/@loren。picard/book。。。 My review is posted at this link。https://medium。com/@loren。picard/book。。。 。。。more
Scott Wozniak
，
This is a very detailed， masterful discussion of the current efforts and challenges facing those trying to build the metaverse。 It begins with a definition of the metaverse that breaks it down concept by concept。 And then continues to talk through the technical challenges we face today （such as latency issues）。 Continues with the legal issues。 And it finishes with the cultural issues all of this stirs up。 It is so specific and technical that it probably is not ideal for someone who is not workin This is a very detailed， masterful discussion of the current efforts and challenges facing those trying to build the metaverse。 It begins with a definition of the metaverse that breaks it down concept by concept。 And then continues to talk through the technical challenges we face today （such as latency issues）。 Continues with the legal issues。 And it finishes with the cultural issues all of this stirs up。 It is so specific and technical that it probably is not ideal for someone who is not working in the space。 But for those who are working in the space， this is some of the best thinking from a guy working at the heart of this。One interesting position he took was that video games are going to be the key innovators and creators of the metaverse。 。。。more
Swati Bhatt
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rambling expositionThis book is a prognostication of the future based on stories without deeper analysis or meaningful integration of the salient facts。
Drew
，
Mathew Ball is a venture capitalist with ties to companies that have deep financial interests for the infrastructure for a metaverse to be built。 This book is blurbed by virtually every tech CEO or president you can think of， with the book also being heavily platformed by the likes of Apple， Amazon， Google， Bloomberg， Forbes， and Time Magazine。 I've never seen the capitalist class rally behind a single book release like they have with this one。 I read the book out of interest to see where big te Mathew Ball is a venture capitalist with ties to companies that have deep financial interests for the infrastructure for a metaverse to be built。 This book is blurbed by virtually every tech CEO or president you can think of， with the book also being heavily platformed by the likes of Apple， Amazon， Google， Bloomberg， Forbes， and Time Magazine。 I've never seen the capitalist class rally behind a single book release like they have with this one。 I read the book out of interest to see where big tech is going to try and influence public policy， and in that regard， I think the book is worth the read。 Ball simultaneously says the Metaverse is inevitable but won't come to fruition unless the major nations of the world spend huge sums of money and redo their internet infrastructures to become exponentially more powerful with data sizes and speeds。 This book's ultimate purpose is to get the metaverse into general public discourse so that these tech giants will have an easier time for government funding to build the web 3。0 internet infrastructure needed for these corporations to have more power and money。 。。。more
Doğa Armangil
，
It turns out， making people live in a parallel reality that is not actual reality is fraught with technical challenges。 Among these:* the compute power needed for rendering complex scenes，* network latency，* the need for 3D VR （virtual reality） display technologies with large viewing angles and high resolutions。The consensus is that upwards of 10 years will be needed for overcoming these challenges。 And I am not even mentioning motion sickness， which is a big issue even in gaming， but which is m It turns out， making people live in a parallel reality that is not actual reality is fraught with technical challenges。 Among these:* the compute power needed for rendering complex scenes，* network latency，* the need for 3D VR （virtual reality） display technologies with large viewing angles and high resolutions。The consensus is that upwards of 10 years will be needed for overcoming these challenges。 And I am not even mentioning motion sickness， which is a big issue even in gaming， but which is mentioned in the book exactly 。。。 once ！The good news is， the Metaverse will/should encompass AR （augmented reality） as well， and many AR display technologies do not induce motion sickness， whereas all VR display technologies do。On the down side， Metaverse technologies will all be extremely energy-hungry， worse than the worst Blockchain technologies。Some aspects of the Metaverse that this book is not mentioning:* A key motivator for wanting to live in the Metaverse will surely be the wish to compensate for the limitations in people's lives。 In the Metaverse people can choose their physical appearance， they can choose to live in a mansion etc。 So the Metaverse probably won't be only for taking offline lives online。* Although the book provides a precise definition of the Metaverse， there is no discussion about some key aspects of the user experience。 For example， if the Metaverse is a set of connected virtual worlds， then how will the user go from one virtual world to another？ How will the user go from a VR world to another VR world， or from a VR world to an AR world or vice versa？ Will there be one AR world or many？ Will this connectedness be limited to the ability of taking one's virtual goods from one world to another， or will people be able to seamlessly move between them？When evaluating the viability of a new technology， a key aspect to consider is: Is it going to make society as a whole more efficient？ Perhaps the fact that many people will be content with having a mansion in the Metaverse rather than in real life will make the Metaverse a net-positive despite its high power consumption。Overall， I don't think the Metaverse will be the most wide-spread way of using computers， but it will surely find its niche。 So this book is worth a read。 。。。more
Deepak
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I think this book will be the great foundation for those people who are the and don't know anything about metaverse。 This book consists all the information related to virtual reality and how it will change and revolutionized the world in which we are leaving， "The Internet world"。 But Is the metaverse bad for humanity？ This is a big question and concerned this time。 Everybody is talking about metaverse can change many industries but what will be the impact of it on our mental and physical heal I think this book will be the great foundation for those people who are the and don't know anything about metaverse。 This book consists all the information related to virtual reality and how it will change and revolutionized the world in which we are leaving， "The Internet world"。 But Is the metaverse bad for humanity？ This is a big question and concerned this time。 Everybody is talking about metaverse can change many industries but what will be the impact of it on our mental and physical health。 Well I think the future will tell us。。。 This time we have to focus on learning as more as we can about the metaverse so that we can take the opportunity around this sector in the future。 。。。more
Jaume Sués Caula
，
Generalist view for starters on the Metaverse; with no in-depth analysis。 The book was published days after META presentation。
C。 Tisch
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