Metaverse as a field of communication and networking in the digital domain: challenges and prospects

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to present the Metaverse technology as a digital metamorphosis of reality and to investigate, based on literature review, the possibilities of shaping and experiencing urban social space within a fully or partially controlled virtual environment. In this context, the city transforms into its digital twin, with multiple identities and geographies, where cultural, social, technological, and economic components coexist. Users immerse themselves in this environment and interact with other users and objects in a manner similar to real life. Within a context of an as realistic and integrated as possible experience of a network of multiple exchanges, transactions, and communications at interpersonal, professional, commercial, and political levels, significance lies not only in shaping a user-friendly interface but also in the systematic digitization and integration of material world information with the use of innovative technical means based on Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Robotics, Augmented Reality, and Internet of Things principles. Conceptually, the properties of Virtual Worlds are examined, focusing on those characteristics related to the Metaverse, the contribution of the aforementioned tools to this effort, followed by examples of application areas across a wide range of activities. The Metaverse offers a renewed perspective on human communication and social relations through immersive interaction methods in the cyberspace, enhancing the digitization of urban environment, commerce, and politics, adaptability to new technologies in view of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and a sense of participation and collectivity in decision-making.