Chapter 6: What’s Next? (Conclusion)

A ‘capital M’ Metaverse will probably take quite a long time to achieve, even if humanity ever does achieve it. “A singular capitalized Metaverse [will] only emerge if corresponding standards also allow disparate heterogeneous virtual worlds to seamlessly exchange or transport objects, behaviors, and [users via their] avatars” (Dionisio et al., 2013, p.34:21). With all the different platforms competing to be the leader in the metaverse movement, it’s still unclear if we will ever reach the concept of the metaverse first coined in Neil Stephenson’s Snow Crash. All of these competitors would have to come together into a centralized ‘avatar super highway’, where my avatar in Fortnite could hop over to Meta (formerly Facebook)’s Horizon Worlds and finally to Decentraland (which shirks centralization in its very name). With all the intellectual property, money, and egos in the metaverse market, the future is murky. “Virtual world development now faces a major new challenge: how to move from a set of sophisticated but completely independent immersive environments to a massive integrated network of 3D virtual worlds or Metaverse” (Dionisio et al., 2013, p.34:28).

The metaverse is still in its very infancy. It is emerging, growing, and is currently a large part of the technology zeitgeist. As museums have done throughout the last century, we must keep well-informed of the changes that are happening in technology and with our audiences. “A core part of this digital transformation in museums. . . involves expanding our concepts of learning and engagement to be responsive to an Internet culture defined by participation. . . Embracing a digital mindset of openness, participation, and connectivity allows museums the chance to extend the boundaries of what is possible, and serve as sites for profound human connection in the 21st century” (Murawski, 2020). It’s quite possible that the sites for profound human connection for museums will include the metaverse.