Facebook Wants to own the Metaverse

What does that mean for the rest of us?

If you've watched Ready Player One or The Matrix you may have a fairly good idea — albeit a terrifying depiction — of what the metaverse could be. In reality, the metaverse is simply the digital world that we all will (and kind of already do) live in. The only real difference between the current Internet and the future projection is that right now we're stuck in one property at a time. You're either on Twitter, Facebook, playing a game, or in some other web application, and your identity, digital possessions, and status don't travel from one place to the next.

One way the metaverse could work is that each of us will have a digital identity that travels with us, so when you show up at a new social network, people may recognize you from a previous group, and they'll be able to see the badges, achievements, and anything else that you'd care to share about yourself.

The idea may seem far out, but it's not far away, and Zuckerberg is making a big strategic move in that direction. Facebook has built its empire on the idea of a fully enclosed social network, where the value in joining is based largely on the network that's already there. Take down those barriers and the whole value proposition falls apart.

This week Facebook announced that it will be hiring 10,000 people in Europe alone to build out its version of the metaverse, and its upcoming name change is reportedly going to signal its intention to become a metaverse company.

For those of you who can remember back to 2006-2008, this feels very much like the moment when Web 2.0 and e-commerce burst onto the scene. This new technology has just appeared and everyone seems to be talking about it, but no one really seems to understand it. Most people are writing it off as "only for tech nerds," and can't imagine how it could ever be used in "real life."

The fact is we could never have imagined that just a decade later, the majority of our shopping, communications, and business would happen online. We certainly couldn't have predicted that 5 of the world's 6 most valuable companies would be Internet-based.

Now that we're at the next inflection point, the question for all of us is: What are we writing off today that will become core parts of our business in the near future?

And in more fun new, it’s going to be a bones day!

Every morning Jonathan Graziano gets up and checks on Noodle, his 13-year-old pug, and depending on Noodle's reaction, millions of people on TikTok's days are changed.

Think Punxsutawney Phil for the social media age, but instead of his shadow predicting the weather, the TikTok world waits to see if Noodle "woke up with bones" (he remains standing when lifted) or if it's a "no bones day" (Noodle flops back into his bed).

The phenomenon has transcended social media – University professors have given students an extension because it was a no bones day, while the Governor of Louisiana encouraged his state to get out there and get vaccinated because it was a bones day.

Today happens to be a bones day which, in Jonathan's words, means that you should "make sure to treat yourself today... go have Greek food by a river... get the couch you've always wanted and you know what? Call someone and tell them that you love them."

So what can we take away from Noodle and his sudden bones-day-stardom?

Much like all Internet sensations, this one was just the message we needed right when we needed it. It's an uplifting horoscope in the form of an adorable pug, and it's a simple little thing that we can add to our days. Content, and especially content series, don't have to be cinematic masterpieces in order to resonate with people, they just need to make us feel something.

Also, in what may be the best investment in marketing today, Noodle is available to be booked via Cameo for your next marketing campaign for just $434.

Written by Conner Galway, Junction Consulting