Stepping into the metaverse: opportunities and challenges in the future digital reality

The outbreak of Covid-19 spurred a digital evolution for many citizens, firms and industries. Alongside this, the use of the term ‘metaverse’ surged in 2021. Precisely what the metaverse will become remains to be seen: it may be an all-encompassing futuristic world of virtual reality (VR) and avatars, or alternatively just a richer, more immersive version of today’s online platforms and games, such as Fortnite or Minecraft. However, myriad potential use cases are foreseen as the metaverse unlocks access to new creative, social and economic opportunities. With MWC Barcelona 2022 on the horizon, there is huge interest in understanding and discussing this much-hyped topic and what it could herald.