Earlier this year, for the first time in the company’s nearly two-decade history, Meta reported a decline in Facebook’s daily active users. And just last month, Meta had another “first in history” when the company announced that quarterly revenue was down from the previous year.
While Facebook is just one example, there is no denying that the social networking landscape is changing.
From authenticity-focused “anti-Instagram” apps like BeReal to more direct social apps like Telegram and Discord that cater to building communities, new ways to form online connections in social circles are emerging, driven by Gen Z .
Anton Bernstein, co-founder and CEO of Metaverse company Pocket Worlds, said the large user base of virtual worlds built by Pocket Worlds gives the company a front-row seat in the industry, giving the company a glimpse of how these trends are evolving in real time.
Combining this knowledge with current industry trends as a case study, Bernstein hopes to shed light on why Pocket Worlds believes the metaverse is creating the future of social connectivity.
The huge influence of Gen Z
Gen Z, who now make up more than a quarter of the world’s population, plays a huge role in shaping culture, and they have enormous purchasing power, with an estimated $360 billion in disposable income.
Given this, companies and brands are devoting top-notch resources to understanding this generation and adjusting their business strategies accordingly.
As these outputs continue to be realized, we are increasingly able to see the outsized impact of this generation on our world and its future. From advertising and marketing to politics and finance, one thing in common is that Gen Z is looking for authenticity and genuine human connection.
For example, billboards, magazines and TV commercials used to dominate the market, but because Gen Z values people’s more practical opinions and advice, we can see influencer campaigns and tangible experiences replacing traditional ones. market.
The Metaverse: The Next Generation of Social Media
Whether inspired by the pandemic or simply a byproduct of the fact that modern people spend more and more time online, everyone is looking for new ways to develop their Crypto interactions.
Where follower numbers once took precedence, there is a renewed emphasis on the importance of community and a platform that promotes meaningful, genuine connection.
With that in mind, the metaverse is fast becoming the next iteration of social media. The reasons for this are as follows:
network ≠ reality
Unlike earlier social networks, these new communities don’t start with friends. They are co-created by strangers who share common interests that in turn develop into something more meaningful.
For example, Roblox or The Sandbox. Every day, millions of people create a custom online persona and connect with other users in a completely virtual setting, all knowing that they may never meet each other in real life.
However, this does not negate the importance of these virtual relationships, as these platforms give users autonomy in the way they express themselves and interact with others.
Self-expression is key
In a recent poll of 1,000 Gen Zers, more than half said social media was the only place they could truly be themselves. Additionally, 58% said their online persona helped them feel more comfortable under their own skin.
Therefore, if a person’s online identity is an extension of their real identity, social platforms will need to improve customizability. Online gaming and metaverse platforms Everskies and Highrise are great examples, allowing users to control how their avatars behave in different environments.
It’s not hard to find that static, one-size-fits-all platforms can no longer satisfy users, replaced by a customizable metaverse.
It’s all about experience
The Metaverse allows users to interact through a tangible shared experience, rather than statically viewing posts or videos in a minimally engaging way. The Metaverse provides a channel for people to interact and form deeper connections with others.
Not only that, but the metaverse’s growing emphasis on authenticity has pushed user-generated content to the forefront; those who interact with the experience are more likely to want creative control over the experience.
Likewise, in Roblox, users spend an average of 150 minutes building and engaging in world experiences; research shows that within the next four years, a quarter of the population will spend an average of an hour in the metaverse.
What will the future hold?
The future of social connectivity lies in the metaverse, and with it comes endless possibilities for personal, professional and economic expansion.
Not only is the metaverse able to fill cultural voids in new ways, it also opens the door to a safer, more private online presence without the censorship and negativity of existing social platforms.
If the growth of the metaverse follows a similar trajectory to the growth and adoption of traditional forms of social media, we will soon see more and more brands and existing communities enter the metaverse and use its technology to form a deeper direct-to-consumer Relationship.
What it will all look like, let time and Gen Z prove everything.
The original text was written by Anton Bernstein, and the Chinese content was compiled by the MetaverseHub team. If you need to reprint, please contact us.