Mark Zuckerberg To Share Facebook 'Metaverse' Vision At Connect Conference — Here's How To Watch It LIVE

The metaverse could be a game-changer for the work-from-home shift amid the coronavirus pandemic of seeing co-workers on a video call grid, employees could see them virtually.

Mark Zuckerberg | File Image

New Delhi: Facebook is betting its future on metaverse and CEO Mark Zuckerberg will reveal his vision for the ‘virtual environment’ at this year's Connect which is going to take place on Thursday. 

In his Facebook post, Mark Zuckerberg informed, “this year's Connect is going to be special. I'm looking forward to sharing our vision for the metaverse."

Video game companies are also chalking out their long-term plans for what some consider the next big thing online. Zuckerberg expects people to start seeing Facebook as a metaverse company in coming years rather than a social media company.

When is Facebook's Connect conference?

Facebook's Connect conference is scheduled to kick off on Thursday at 10.30 p.m IST. 

Where can Facebook's Connect conference be watched LIVE? 

The conference is set to be streamed live on Facebook and the user can click here to join in...

What Is Metaverse?

Considered to bring the Internet to life, or at least rendered in 3D, Zuckerberg has defined metaverse as a "virtual environment” where you can go inside of — instead of just looking at on a screen. 

In the coming years, Zuckerberg said Facebook will be seen not as a social media firm but as a company focused on the metaverse.

The buzzy term refers broadly to a shared virtual environment that can be accessed by people using different devices. “This is a major area of investment for us and an important part of our strategy going forward,” he added.

It’s seen as the world of endless, interconnected virtual communities where people can meet, work and play, using virtual reality headsets, augmented reality glasses, smartphone apps, or other devices.

Facebook has also clearly noted that the process would take 10 to 15 years to develop responsible products for the metaverse, a term coined by writer Neal Stephenson for his 1992 science fiction novel “Snow Crash.”

What Can You Do In Metaverse?

It can make things possible such as a tour to a virtual concert, taking a trip online, and buying and trying on digital clothing. The metaverse also could be a game-changer for the work-from-home shift amid the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of seeing co-workers on a video call grid, employees could see them virtually, according to news agency AP.

The social media company has launched meeting software for companies, called Horizon Workrooms, to use with its Oculus VR headsets. However, the headsets cost $300 or more thereby putting the metaverse’s most cutting-edge experiences out of reach for many.

Will this also lead to more data transmit?

Going by the scheme of things, it looks Facebook wants to carry its business model, which is primarily based on using personal data to sell targeted advertising, into the metaverse.

"Ads are going to continue being an important part of the strategy across the social media parts of what we do, and it will probably be a meaningful part of the metaverse, too,” Zuckerberg said in the company’s most recent earnings call.

It may give way to fresh privacy concerns, experts believe. They have shared concerns that the social media company’s attempt to lead the way into a virtual world could require even more personal data and abuse and misinformation at a time when it hasn’t fixed those problems in its current platforms.