It’s easy to say, as many have in recent months, that the office of the future is in the so-called metaverse or that the metaverse is the solution to remote and hybrid work issues.
It’s easy because the word “metaverse” does not have a universally accepted meaning.
For example, if the statement “The office of the future is in the metaverse” means people start their day by putting on virtual reality (VR) goggles, sitting at a virtual desk using a virtual computer surrounded by avatars, and going to virtual meetings in a universally shared extended-reality virtual space, I would strongly disagree with that prediction.
If, however, the statement means that, in addition to the tools we have now, we’ll also sometimes use augmented reality (AR) and VR briefly for specific purposes, I would not only agree, I would say:
“Of course — this has been assumed for decades. This is obviously going to happen.”
Forget the hype and wishful thinking. Here's how "metaverse" technologies will affect the future of work.