Originally posted on my LinkedIn page.

I think it can still go either way. But a better question is really: what needs to happen for the metaverse to take off? Here are four ideas:

→ Technology needs to improve. Nobody likes wearing clunky, heavy headsets that still cause motion sickness in a large proportion of users.

→ The product and tech ecosystem needs to expand. One of the reasons the iPhone got mainstream buy-in was because of the internet and App Store. The same needs to happen for the metaverse to go mainstream.

→ Platform consolidation. Right now there are too many platforms and no clear leaders. Like social media or videoconferencing platforms, it takes a certain amount of momentum to drive broad user adoption.

→ Regulations and policies need to be developed. Governments have not been that successful in regulating global online environments, and media giants like Facebook and Twitter have received massive backlash for failing to keep users safe from abuse and violence online.

Will any of this happen? Who knows. If we look at the evolution of other technologies, we can expect that it won’t end up looking quite like we imagined it by the time it gains mainstream adoption. Regardless, organizations and people need to start thinking about how the metaverse could impact them in the next 3-5 years.