The Metaverse, you may have heard, is the next big thing: ever-present social cyberspace in which people—or their digital avatars—will work, hang out, and shop. As it happens, this was also the next big thing in 2003. That’s when Philip Rosedale and his then-company Linden Lab launched Second Life, an immersive digital platform in which users can build worlds, create art, and buy and sell digital goods. After a spike of interest, Second Life faded into the background of internet culture, but it has maintained a loyal following of people who for whatever reason prefer its virtual reality to their own meatspace. In many ways, the metaverse being pitched by Facebook—er, Meta—and other companies isn’t so different from Second Life.
Full story : How to Build a Better Metaverse.
