metaverse

Etymology

meta- + (uni)verse. Analyzable as meta- + -verse. In the sci-fi sense coined by American science fiction writer Neal Stephenson in 1992.

noun

1. (science fiction, Internet) A hypothetical future (counterpart or continuation of the) Internet, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space.
   It is closer, in other words, to another science fiction vision, the “metaverse” Neal Stephenson envisioned in his 1992 Snow Crash. That particular moniker has not caught on, but many of Stephenson's ideas about what the on-line world can look like are driving a new generation of entrepreneurs to try to match it. 1997-07-07, Zina Moukheiber, “The geeks have inherited the earth”, in Forbes, →ISSN, pages 354–356
   But now, with 350 million players who are used to hanging out in a vibrant, ridiculous online world filled with dancing bananas and cartoon skirmishes, Party Royale could be the experience that finally realises the idea of a playful, mass participation online metaverse. 2020-05-15, Keith Stuart, “Fortnite Party Royale is the most fun you can have in the metaverse”, in The Guardian
   Video games like Roblox and Fortnite and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, in which players can build their own worlds, have metaverse tendencies, as does most social media. If you own a non-fungible token or even just some crypto, you’re part of the metaversal experience. Virtual and augmented reality are, at a minimum, metaverse adjacent. 2021-07-10, John Herrman, Kellen Browning, “Are We in the Metaverse Yet?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
   In the world of Snow Crash, the metaverse is not viewed as particularly cool—it is necessary, because the real world has become so unbearable. 2021-07-30, Brian Merchant, “The Metaverse Has Always Been a Dystopian Idea”, in VICE
   The metaverse is the convergence of two ideas that have been around for many years: virtual reality and a digital second life. 2022-01-18, Brian X. Chen, “What’s All the Hype About the Metaverse?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
2. A set or the composite of all universes.
   A single-cycle universe comes to eternal rest. But further instabilities in the virtual energy domain may occur, and some of these may be potent enough to create new universes. The thesis of a metaverse giving rise to local universes is cogent, […] 2003, Ervin Laszlo, The Connectivity Hypothesis, page 108