What is the metaverse?

<p>The metaverse was first coined in Neal Stephenson’s 1992 sci-fi novel Snow Crash, in which he described a virtual reality-based successor to the internet.</p><p>It is an extensive online world in which people are able to interact via digital avatars - a hypothesised 3D environment, through personal computing, smartphones, and virtual augmented reality headsets, combining both virtual and physical spaces.</p><p>It also implements social media elements such as avatar identity, and content creation.</p><p>However, the concept of the metaverse is not without its critics.</p>