What is the metaverse anyway?

Impact on youth and society

But, given that link with video games, shouldn't this especially affect young people?

Correct! Such spaces result in deeply invested users, embodied by avatars and a virtual identity, which is increasingly complex and consistent. Indeed, the young people of Gen Z (late 1990s - 2000s) spend increasingly more time in virtual worlds and connect even more to their virtual identity. Around half of this population feels a greater freedom in video games and considers this virtual identity as a real expression of their personality⁽⁶⁾. Several factors can explain this particular link, notably a great receptivity to microtransaction systems: avatar and cosmetics purchases on video games, mobile games, recurring streaming subscriptions... This link is reinforced and permanently renewed, as major brands that are established "in" the metaverse⁽⁷⁾ (e.g. Nike or Adidas), are particularly popular to this generation.

I get it! The metaverse actually already exists then.

Not exactly, I would say. A distinction must be made, since these spaces, which represent a new field of communication for brands, may indeed suggest that the metaverse already exists. It would match the way these new generations interact, think, act, and spend their money, in video games, and other virtual events. As a matter of fact, if we consider the metaverse as a world, or a set of interoperable and persistent virtual worlds, which should give rise to new interactions, experiences, and economic flows, these current spaces would rather be various micro-metaverses⁽⁸⁾. These do indeed take the form of private virtual worlds, as with Fortnite, but gaming is not the only branch of the metaverse, although it is currently the most attractive. Above all, it represents an excellent way to study the evolution of the metaverse, since it is obviously the most evolved part of it.

6. Adams, P. (2022, April 19). What Gen Z wants to see from brands as metaverse attachments grow, Marketing Dive.

7. Nike has acquired a plot in the Roblox game, called "Nikeland," a kind of virtual store-and-show, which allows users to try on products virtually, and play games with the community. This space attracted about 7 million users between November 2021 and March 2022. Sutcliffe, C. (2022, March 22). Nearly 7 million people have visited Nike's metaverse store. The Drum.

   Since the end of 2021, Adidas has been building relationships with leading brands in the NFT scene (e.g., by purchasing a BAYC, whose value exceeded 100 ETH at the end of January 2022, which at that time corresponded to approximately $260,000). The brand is gradually strengthening its presence in the metaverse with virtual collections, avatars, and offers to "enter the metaverse." Adidas. Section "metaverse".

   These brands are far from being the only ones, most of them manage to link part of their market to the metaverse, or even thoroughly change their communication on social networks to integrate into it (Puma, Dolce & Gabana, Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton...; Hello Kitty, which has a space in the Roblox editor, and which counts 47.6 million visits in a little less than a month, between April 4 and May 9, 2022.) Heng, E. (2022, Feb. 17). A rundown of the fashion brands that have joined the metaverse. Vogue.

8. Ffiske, T. (2022, April 20). The Immersive Wire, VR/AR and metaverse analysis every Wednesday and Sunday, Newsletter.